Look what I got in the mail.

I'm stuck home today, this lovely Resurrection Sunday ( the last of the Paschal Sundays) because strep throat is running rampant in my home. Actually, we are now on the mend but one child hasn't been on antibiotics long enough to go out in public and I have 2 that haven't gotten it and I just want to make sure they aren't going to before letting them out.
So I am home and can't wait to tell you what I got in the mail yesterday.
In early May I submitted an entry for this contest and I won! Yesterday my prize came in the mail directly from Sylvia of Adventures of an Orthodox Mom. She made this for ME! It is absolutely gorgeous!!! Thank you so much!!!

Look at the cute little wooden clothespin used as a bookmark. Little did Sylvia know that I REALLY needed many of the quotes she put in the journal. God used her. Thank you, Lord.

There are several quotes, handwritten throughout the journal.

I'm not sure what I'll use it for yet. Either a prayer journal OR a farm journal! I can't decide.

Wisdom of Sirach

The heart of a man changes the expression of his face;
Either for good for evil.
The mark of a heart filled with goodness is a cheerful face,
But the invention of proverbs requires laborious reasoning.
Chapter 13 Verses 24-25

Contest

Check out the contest on my farm blog.

Triplets!

If you don't get over to St. Brigid Farm blog very often you should check it out. I have just posted pictures and the story of Firefly's kidding.

a really neat blog

I came across a really neat blog last week called Adventures of an Orthodox Mom. It is really fun to find other Orthodox mom's moving down the same path.
She had a Mother's Day contest so I entered, random number drawing. I WON! I never win anything. Thank you, Sylvia.
Check out her blog...it's great!

Having Fun

laziness

A post at The Thrifty Oreganic titled Editorial on Laziness started me thinking about sloth/laziness in general. It is no secret that I struggle with this in the homemaking arena. I have many excuses and blame "things" rather than my inability to "just do it". My biggest distraction is the computer!!!! But truly I don't do much on the computer/internet. I really don't. I WASTE TIME, stall the inevitable. Whenever I mention being lazy to some people, such as my mom, I always get this strange look and she says "You are NOT lazy. Look at everything you do." But that's where I jump in and say "do? But that is where you are wrong. Yes, I have a lot TO DO, but most of it doesn't actually get done."
One of things that I gleaned from St. Paisius Monastery when we were down there was there organization and schedules. They had lists and check lists everywhere! I loved it. My hope and prayer is that I can bring some of that into my own home. I have so many dreams of WANTING to DO so many wonderful things on this farm and I KNOW that it IS attainable....people do it all the time but only when they don't struggle with sloth!
Gleanings from Orthodox Christian Authors and the Holy Fathers website has these 5 quotes listed under the title of "sloth":

...to acquire good habits it is necessary to perform a greater number of right deeds, than the number of evil deeds required to establish bad habits; for bad habits take root more easily, since they are aided and abetted by the sin living in us, that is, by self-indulgence. Lorenzo Scupoli (Unseen Warfare

---

Flee idleness and laziness; stand on guard watchfully, in all things peering closely at your thoughts, and wisely arranging and conducting the activities, demanded by your position. Lorenzo Scupoli (Unseen Warfare: Chapter 19)

---

Having once tasted the pleasure of inaction, you begin to like and prefer it to action. In satisfying this desire, you will little by little form a habit of inaction and laziness, in which the passions for doing nothing will possess you to such extent that you will cease even to see how incongruous and criminal it is; except perhaps when you weary of this laziness, and are again eager to take up your work. Then you will see with shame how negligent you have been and how many necessary works you have neglected, for the sake of the empty and useless 'doing what you like'. Lorenzo Scupoli (Unseen Warfare: Chapter 20)

---

Never delay in undertaking any work you have to do, for the first brief delay will lead to a second, more prolonged one, and the second to a third, still longer, and so on. Thus work begins too late and is not done in its proper time, or else is abandoned altogether, as something too burdensome. Lorenzo Scupoli (Unseen Warfare: Chapter 20)

---

The good servant(4) receives the bread of his labor with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look his employer in the face. First Epistle Of Clement To The Corinthians, Chap. XXXIV

Look at that 4 out of the five quotes come from Unseen Warfare! I guess I really ought to read that book.

I also found this quote under "laziness"....it really got my attention!!!!!
When our good and all-gracious Lord and Master sees people too lazy in their exercises, He lays their flesh low with sickness, an asceticism with less toil; and sometimes it also cleanses the soul from evil thoughts or passions. St. John Climacus, "The Ladder of Divine Ascent," (Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1978), Step26: On Discernment of Thoughts, Passions and Virtue

Maybe next time I post I can tell you all about my lists I'm making.

I know that I still want to write about my trip to Arizona during lent. I'm waiting for pictures and words. :) For some reason I'm having a hard time bring forth words to describe this trip. It was so amazing.

Last but certainly not least....
Today we commemorate St. Alexis of Toth the confessor and defender of Orthodoxy in America.
O righteous Father Alexis,
Our heavenly intercessor and teacher,
Divine adornment of the Church of Christ!
Entreat the Master of All
To strengthen the Orthodox Faith in America,
To grant peace to the world
And to our souls, great mercy!

Quote

Many teach their children about worldly politics, others teach them to speak foreign languages: French, German, Italian, and in this spend no trifling sums. Others endeavor to teach them commerce and other arts. But hardly anyone teaches them to live in a Christian manner. However, without this, all learning is nothing and all wisdom is madness. For what does it profit a Christian to speak Italian, French and German, if he lives in an ungodly manner? What use is it to be skilled in commerce and the arts if one lacks the fear of God? God will not ask you whether you taught your children French, German or Italian or the politics of social life--but you will not escape divine reprobation for not having instilled goodness into them. I speak plainly but I tell the truth: if your children are bad, your grandchildren will be worse, and the evil will thus increase...and the root of all this is our thoroughly bad education.


St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

Christ is Risen!

Happy Bright Week!!! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!!

Now that Holy Week is behind us I decided I wanted to share about what an amazing week Holy Week is in our Orthodox Tradition. I have some non-Orthodox family and friends that may find it interesting to read about what it is we do during this awesome week of our Lord's Passion...my favorite week of the entire year!
After spending 7 weeks focusing on changing ourselves, we turn our attention from us to Him and all he endured for us during the week leading up to Pascha (Easter). ( Much of the descriptions of services, etc. I found on the OCA website.)
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we have 2 services each day and each day has a theme. Monday is the sterile fig tree which yields no fruit and is condemned. Tuesday the accent is on the vigilance of the wise virgins who, unlike their foolish sisters, were ready when the Lord came to them. Wednesday the focus is on the fallen woman who repents. We focus on the Gospel readings that lead us through this week of Christ's life and we also concentrate on reading the Old Testaments reading that prophecy them.
On Holy Thursday each service is focused entirely on the Lord's Last Supper and his betrayal. In some Churches they even do the actual act of washing feet. All hymns have these themes as well.
When Thy glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of their feet before the supper, then the impious Judas was darkened by the disease of avarice, and to the lawless judges he betrayed Thee, the Righteous Judge. Behold, O lover of money, this man because of avarice hanged himself. Flee from the insatiable desire which dared such things against the Master! O Lord who deals righteously with all, glory to Thee (Troparion of Holy Thursday).
Great and Holy Friday begins with the Matins service late on Thursday night with the 12 Gospel Readings. This is what I read about it...
The main feature of this service is the reading of twelve selections from the Gospels, all of which are accounts of the passion of Christ. The first of these twelve readings is Jn 13:31-18:1. It is Christ's long discourse with his apostles that ends with the so-called high priestly prayer. The final gospel tells of the sealing of the tomb and the setting of the watch (Mt 27:62-66).
The twelve Gospel readings of Christ's passion are placed between the various parts of the service. The hymnology is all related to the sufferings of the Saviour and borrows heavily from the Gospels and the prophetic scriptures and psalms. The Lord's beatitudes are added to the service after the sixth gospel reading, and there is special emphasis given to the salvation of the thief who acknowledged Christ's Kingdom.
We build a "tomb" in the center of the Church during Holy Friday. In the afternoon the priest carries Christ from the Cross sets Him in the tomb in what is one of the most moving services I have ever attended in my life. He is laid in the "tomb" as we sing...
The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Your most pure Body from the Tree, wrapped it in fine linen and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.
On Great and Holy Saturday we celebrate Divine Liturgy in the morning. It is a somber yet hopeful celebration of Liturgy because we know Christ lies dead, yet he is alive. He is in the tomb, but already he is "trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life." There is nothing more to do now but to live through the evening of the Blessed Sabbath on which Christ sleeps, awaiting the midnight hour when the Day of our Lord will begin to dawn upon us, and the night full of light will come when we will proclaim with the angel: "He is risen, he is not here; see the tomb where they laid him" (Mk 16:6).
We then rise at midnight to begin the amazing celebration of Christ conquering death.

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee from before his face!

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. (Troparion)

This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Christ is Risen!!!!
Indeed He is Risen!!!

Bridegroom Matins Kontakion

You know that this is the last hour, O wretched soul,
And fear the cutting of the fig tree.
Work diligently therefore at the talent given to you
Keep watch and pray:
Let us not remain outside the bridal chamber of Christ.

Bridegroom Matins

Behold, the bridegroom comes in the middle of the night and blessed is the servant whom he shall find watching, and unworthy the servant whom he shall find heedless. Take care then, 0 my soul, and be not weighed down by sleep that you will not be given over unto death and be excluded from the Kingdom. But rise up and call out: Holy, Holy, Holy art T hou O God, by the Theotokos have mercy on us
(Troparion of the First Three Days).

This is really my first experience with Bridegroom Matins. I've just never really had the opportunity to attend.
It is one of the most beautiful services, it is solemn yet exciting because we are anticipating what is to come.
I love it!!! And I'm so glad that I get to participate in all 3 Bridegroom services. Glory to God!!

I'm home but BUSY!

I'm home! It is good to be back home with my family and my farm. But I had an amazing time on my Lenten pilgrimage to AZ and my visit to 2 separate monasteries.
I want to share lots of pictures and share my experiences with you all but it might have to wait until after Pascha. Holy Week is upon us and we will be in Church more often than not, along with the many preparations for the coming feast.
If I'm not back before then, I pray this week of our Lord's Passion be an amazing blessing to you all.
Oh, how exciting....only 6 more days!!

Pictures finally and "I'm leavin' on a Jet Plane"

Yes, I finally have pictures from my last pilgrimage the day I leave on my new pilgrimage.
Please pray for Liz and I as we travel by boat (me), car (lots of driving in AZ) and plane. As mentioned before, we will be heading to first St. Anthony Greek Monastery and then over to
St. Paisius Serbian Monastery early Sunday morning in time for Liturgy. We get to see our dear, dear friend Sr. Brigid whom we haven't seen since she left to become a novice 2 years ago.
We come home on a 6:00AM flight Wednesday morning.

Here, finally are pictures from the pilgrimage I took my girls on...to St. John the Forerunner Monastery in Goldendale, WA. We took our dear friend, Hannah.

Above the girls are at the stream behind the monastery and it was the first time they'd seen this because they are usually there in the summer when it is just a dry creek bed. They were so excited to see the water flow. Below they are on the bridge to an area they called Archangel Michael, which is the area that has the shrine pictured below.

Below is the outdoor shrine. There are some logs laying around as benches. It really is very beautiful. It would be neat to have this on a corner of my property.

They had 8 baby goats and here is the one they fittingly named Oreo!

Aaron, this is the picture you wanted to see. I was corrected in the what that headband is used for. It is actually a slingshot and it is easily pulled off the head and transformed into a weapon...the slingshot. He is quite good at it. :)

Parenting

Parenting has got to be by far the most difficult thing I have ever done. Day in and day out there are so many decisions to make and I can't help but constantly feel that based on the specific decision I make, it could make or break anything and everything that I have decided up to that point. Lately, I have been doubting myself far too much. I have overwhelming fears that MY sinfulness is going to greatly hinder my children's path to salvation.

I had a particularly difficult day yesterday and so had some deep discussions with James last night. It was good.
Then this morning after prayers, I read the scripture readings for today, I felt that God spoke to me. In each passage the very first verse or two jumped out and spoke to ME.

He said...
Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:
“ I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand;" [Isaiah 42:5-6]

Genesis 18:20
Okay, so I was SUPPOSE to read Genesis 18:20 next but when I went to copy it for this I discovered that I did not read that but read Exodus 18:20 instead. But it is what spoke to me so I think I need to say that God directed me here.
Then He said...
And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. [Exodus 18:20]

And He said, "Do that with...."
A gentle mind with humility is better than he who divides soils with the arrogant. [Proverbs 16:17]


Glory to God for all things.

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.

55 Maxims for Christian Living

Fr. Christopher sent this out in an email. The podcast can be found here.

55 Maxims for Christian Living
by Fr. Thomas Hopko

1. Be always with Christ.
2. Pray as you can, not as you want.
3. Have a keepable rule of prayer that you do by discipline.
4. Say the Lord's Prayer several times a day.
5. Have a short prayer that you constantly repeat when your mind is not
occupied with other things.
6. Make some prostrations when you pray.
7. Eat good foods in moderation.
8. Keep the Church's fasting rules.
9. Spend some time in silence every day.
10. Do acts of mercy in secret.
11. Go to liturgical services regularly
12. Go to confession and communion regularly.
13. Do not engage intrusive thoughts and feelings. Cut them off at the start.
14. Reveal all your thoughts and feelings regularly to a trusted person.
15. Read the scriptures regularly.
16. Read good books a little at a time.
17. Cultivate communion with the saints.
18. Be an ordinary person.
19. Be polite with everyone.
20. Maintain cleanliness and order in your home.
21. Have a healthy, wholesome hobby.
22. Exercise regularly.
23. Live a day, and a part of a day, at a time.
24. Be totally honest, first of all, with yourself.
25. Be faithful in little things.
26. Do your work, and then forget it.
27. Do the most difficult and painful things first.
28. Face reality.
29. Be grateful in all things.
30. Be cheerful.
31. Be simple, hidden, quiet and small.
32. Never bring attention to yourself.
33. Listen when people talk to you.
34. Be awake and be attentive.
35. Think and talk about things no more than necessary.
36. When we speak, speak simply, clearly, firmly and directly.
37. Flee imagination, analysis, figuring things out.
38. Flee carnal, sexual things at their first appearance.
39. Don't complain, mumble, murmur or whine.
40. Don't compare yourself with anyone.
41. Don't seek or expect praise or pity from anyone.
42. We don't judge anyone for anything.
43. Don't try to convince anyone of anything.
44. Don't defend or justify yourself.
45. Be defined and bound by God alone.
46. Accept criticism gratefully but test it critically.
47. Give advice to others only when asked or obligated to do so.
48. Do nothing for anyone that they can and should do for themselves.
49. Have a daily schedule of activities, avoiding whim and caprice.
50. Be merciful with yourself and with others.
51. Have no expectations except to be fiercely tempted to your last breath.
52. Focus exclusively on God and light, not on sin and darkness.
53. Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins peacefully,serenely, because you know that God's mercy is greater than your wretchedness.
54. When we fall, get up immediately and start over.
55. Get help when you need it, without fear and without shame.

I'm back...but not for long.

The girls and I had a wonderful time at the monastery. (I hope to have a couple pictures soon...I have to rely on James' laptop to get them and I just plain forgot to transfer them to this pc.) The weather was perfect!
We helped the sisters a little each day with a new task. On Tuesday we raked and raked pine needles off of their big lawn. It only made me glad I don't have a big lawn. On Wednesday we cut dried flowers for soap. And on Thursday we cut and folded little tiny tags for soap. Kelsey Anna and Hannah were quite the troopers. They attended all but one 4:30AM service. Charissa and I did the first one and found that Charissa is just not ready for that kind of asceticism (good excuse for me, eh?) so we slept. I did rise fairly early though and took advantage of a VERY quiet guest house. It was a long time to be away from home though. Too long away from the boys (all 3) and away from my animals. I couldn't wait to get back to attending the livestock. They have goats and chickens at the monastery but they don't like help with them, much to Charissa's chagrin.
As stated in the title, I'm not back for long. On Friday the 11th, I hop on an airplane with my good friend Liz and we head to AZ. Our plans were to visit St. Paisius Monastery and our good friend, the novice, Sr. Brigid. I haven't seen her in over 2 years now and it will be so fun to do that. St. Paisius didn't have room for us on 2 of the nights we were going to be in AZ so we decided to extend our pilgrimage and visit St. Anthony's Greek Monastery as well. I feel unbelievably blessed to have this opportunity. And boy, to think, THREE monastery pilgrimages in one Lenten season. Unreal! Never again (oh, maybe 15 years from now) will I have this opportunity!!!

Thank you, my sweet husband for granting this opportunity to me. And I will take this time now to say Happy 14 blessed, growing, loving and amazing years!!!! We've come a long way! And may God grant us many, many more to come!!! I love you!!!

As we come nearer and nearer to the close of Lent I want to share this great verse I found in today's Proverbs reading. It is the answer to our struggles of fasting....all we need to do is gather more often for meals together!
Better is a dinner of herbs with friendship and grace, than a fatted calf with hostility. Proverbs 15:18

May your Lenten journey finish with great renewal.

A Pilgrimage

Tomorrow morning I'll be taking my girls and a friend of our families daughter and we are headed to St. John the Forerunner Monastery for 5 days!!! It is our first pilgrimage together like this and I am really excited and feel really blessed that we have this opportunity. My mother-in-law is coming today to stay with the boys all week (all three boys), bless her!
Please pray for our safe travels over the water, over the mountain passes and through the woods. With ferry (and potty breaks) it's about 5 hours.
See you Friday.

Today's reading from Isaiah

I found today's reading fascinating. And with reading the footnotes in the Orthodox Study Bible I learned some new things.

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The house was full of His glory. Around Him stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." The lintel was lifted up by the voice of those who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said, "Woe is me, because I am pierced to the heart, for being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; for I saw the King, the Lord of hosts, with my eyes!" Then one of the seraphim was sent to me. he had a live coal in his hand, which he took with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth, and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips. Your lawlessness is taken away, and your sin is cleansed." Isaiah 6:1-7 (today's reading was actually through verse 12)

Footnote: Isaiah's vision has strongly influenced the development of Orthodox Christian worship. For the Church, like heaven, has an altar, a throne, smoke from the incense, and believers singing "Holy, holy, holy," the thrice Holy hymn.
Footnote: A live coal touching the mouth: Isaiah experiences a symbol of the Eucharist, which is taken from the altar to be served to the faithful. In fact, after an Orthodox priest receives communion, he quietly quotes the seraphim's proclamation.(v.7)

Back to the grind...

Not what you may think but a different kind of "grind".
The grind of managing my household without any other help from another adult like person. For the past 6 weeks I've had either my mother here or James. While he was in Uganda my mom was here to help out with managing household duties. Then she went home and James had 2 weeks off before having to head back to work. He helped out with the kids tremendously. But now here I am, today the first day in 6 weeks.
I am reminded about how "managing my household" is an ongoing struggle for me. Reading through my archives it is quite unbelievable how often I posted about needing a schedule/routine and about household duties and failing at it all. Always seeming to be the biggest hurdle of my life.
So, I've come to a conclusion...it is not just a matter of "managing my household" but a deeper matter of the heart.
I shall pray.

From the Wisdom of Sirach:
Like the sun rising in the Lord's heaven
Is the beauty of a good wife in the ordering of her house. (26:16)

Wisdom of Sirach

I've been reading our new Orthodox Study Bible and a friend directed me to the great Wisdom of Sirach. I have been thoroughly enjoying it. There are some great snippets throughout and I thought that I would start sharing them here.

One of my favorite James blogged but here it is again and I'll continue with it.

Do not hate hard work, especially farming, which was created by the Most High.
Wisdom of Sirach 7:15

Later in the chapter it goes on to say...
Do you have cattle? Take care of them; and if they are profitable to you, keep them.
Do you have children? Correct them, and make them obey from their youth.
Do you have daughters? Watch carefully over their chastity, and do not be too easy on them.
Give a daughter in marriage and you will have completed a great work; but give her to a man of understanding.
Wisdom of Sirach 7:22-25

Joseph lost a tooth!

I think it has been nearly 2 weeks now, but I couldn't get a picture on here. Right before daddy returned from Uganda Joseph lost his first tooth. We kept hushed about it until he got home and Joseph went running out to greet daddy with a huge smile on his face to see if daddy would notice. It was really fun!!
The best part of this picture though, is not the missing tooth but those big beautiful blue eyes! I just love them!

Forgiveness

As we enter into this Great and Holy Lent I bow before you and ask forgiveness of any offense, in knowledge or in ignorance. May God forgive us all.

I leave you with this from the service of Forgiveness...

Your grace has shown forth, O Lord:
the grace that illumines our soul.
This is the acceptable time!
This is the time of repentance!
Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light,
that passing through the Fast, as through a great sea,
we may reach the Resurrection on the third day//
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of our souls!

For Joy and Gladness

Met. Kallistos Ware mentioned the reading from this past Friday being in Zechariah and some quote about fasting. I didn't catch it all just made note to read it. So Friday came and found myself reading this verse in Zechariah. I thought it was a great passage to share as we step forward into Great Lent.

Thus says the Lord Almighty: 'The fourth-month fast, and the fifth-month fast, and the seventh-month fast, and the tenth-month fast shall be for joy and gladness and in good feasts to the house of Judah. And you will rejoice, and you will love truth and peace.' Zechariah 8:19 (emphasis in bold added)

Met. Kallistos Ware on "What is Lent"

We were blessed last night to attend a pre-Lenten talk in Seattle with guest speaker Met. Kallistos Ware. I've never heard him speak. He talked about Lent and I took notes. I thought I would write out my notes on here to share with all. I really enjoyed his talk and hope that I can take it to heart and use it to make this Lent a wonderful growing time.
Remember these are my notes. They weren't written in full sentences, or word for word. These are tidbits that grabbed my attention.

What is Lent really about?
"Lent" mean springtime and linked to "long and lengthening".

The Life-giving triad of Lent:
1. Fasting--
*it brings the body into the domain of the spiritual life
*it is spiritual as well as physical
*fast from not only food but from sin---all fleshly members of the body need to participate

2. Prayer
*goes hand and hand with fasting, cannot do one without the other

3. Action-Almsgiving-Acts of mercy, Love and Compassion

Story of a nun that helped the Jews hide in Europe and gave her life to save another. She was known to say "When we face judgment, we will not be asked how strictly we fasted, or how diligently we prayed but we WILL be asked if we fed the hungry or if we clothed the naked or gave to the poor."

All three of these are about personal relationships.
1. Relationship to self
2. Relationship to God
3. Relationship to others

Quoted and talked about the Gospel from Meatfare which I noted to self to reread.

Lent is the season of repentance.
Repentance is "reverse perspective", a different way to look at self and others.
Using the story of prodigal son we see three stages of repentance.
1st Stage:
Prodigal son comes to self.
*self-knowledge
*a great understanding
*waking up from a dream
*waking up from an illusion
*recentering
*seeing "where I am"

2nd Stage:
Prodigal son realizes he can go home.
*new hope
*true repentance is daughter of hope and denial of despair
*we must also forgive ourselves

3rd Stage:
Prodigal son went home.
*true repentance is doing something NOW..today...not yesterday, not tomorrow, today!

Confession
If you go regularly, during this Great Lent do so with extra special preparations. If not in the custom of going regularly..GO. We must prepare!
Share your thoughts and struggles with your father confessor. By holding them in, concealing them, they will only multiply.

I hope and pray that at least something out of this will grab your attention and you may be blessed by the words of Met. Kallistos Ware as I felt I was.

As we approach Great Lent I pray you all will grow in the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He's Home!!!

Happy Dance!
Happy Dance!
Happy Dance!

He's already tucked in bed, sound asleep, after traveling for 24 hours with a couple 2 hour naps being it for sleep in that time. He was plum tuckered out.

Be we are all rejoicing that daddy is home!!!!
Thank you for your prayers!

We have connection

...to the internet. We dug out a very old computer, found a keyboard and mouse and here we are. It's old but it functions.
On another happy note, I have only 48 hours till I hop on the ferry to meet James in Seattle. He has just 24 hours until he hops on an airplane and leaves Africa. Yes, he travels for 24 + hours including 6 hours in AMS...hopefully he can sleep while there.

Our computer is down and for how long is unknown. It doesn't look good and I don't want to spend money for a new one. We have a very old one for the kids we might try to hook up but that will be after James gets home.
THREE DAYS to go!!!!
Happy Saturday coming!

Spring

This week has been a week full of spring. Signs of spring everywhere. We have spent nearly everyday outside working on one thing or another on the farm, but today after Church while the kids played I took a walk. Well, first I cuddled with Joseph and fell asleep for a short little siesta and then went out and took a walk, enjoying the 50+ degree weather and sun. The kids were out all afternoon...from about 2pm-5pm...playing with their imaginations. I love it when they do that. We've had 50's all this past week and near 60 on a couple days. Which explains the signs of spring...in February.

This is just a random bush I came across with big huge leaf buds all over it.

On Saturday we washed sheets and took advantage of the brilliant sun and breeze. Oh, it was just lovely to climb into bed in sun dried sheets! I love how they feel and smell.

This is my flowering red currant. It is so lovely and in another month it will be covered in these red blooms and full of hummingbirds!

Oh, I love spring!

On another note... the homesick counter reads 5 days, 16 hours and 35 minutes!!!!
Words cannot begin to express what this means to me.
Thank you for your prayers of safety and health as he travels back to us.

Song for Daddy

Kelsey has been begging me all week to get this video up on my blog for daddy. I have tried. I cannot seem to find the embed codes or get them to work. So if you want to see the song you'll have to click here...from our hearts to yours, daddy.

Hangin' in there....

According to the "homesick counter" at this very second there are 12 days 6 hours 11 minutes and 22 seconds left until my dear husband arrives back in Western Washington. I cannot begin to express how much I miss this man! I feel that this time around is far harder than I remember his 3 weeks away last summer were. I don't know why. It could be that last time for the first week I had my sister here with her whole family and by the time she left we only had 2 weeks left.
I think the kids have handled it far better than they did last summer but I'm not so sure I have.
On Valentine's Day I found this post at Paradosis. What a beautiful gift. I listen to the song daily.
There is an old saying, the original sounds so much more beautiful....
"Always toward absent lovers love's tide stronger flows."
I find this to be profoundly true. And because of this I am thankful for this separation. We have a tendency to take things for granted way too much and the absence brings those things out loud and clear. I pray that I will walk away from this challenge a stronger more giving person, a more grateful and thankful person.
Thank you for your continued prayers through the last half of this challenge.

Happy Valentines Day, Daddy! We Miss You!

Unexpected Treat

Last night at about 8pm it started snowing. It had already been raining and then it turned to snow and it snowed probably for 3 hours. This was completely unexpected. The forecast said rain and wind, in fact a wind advisory. I expected the power to go out but not snow. The snow was blowing snow as well. It was fun to see it dancing this way and that way. I noticed before I headed to bed that I even had a little tiny snow drift on the side walk, and that the snow plastered to the side of the porch. Yes, the snow does blow in Western WA. It is still here this morning but I suspect not for long. Just long enough for the kids to run out and get wet, very wet.


My tiny drift of snow. :) Which are NOTHING compared to these! Now that's a drift!

This picture was lightened up just a little but the picture below the shuttle was kept open for about 5-10 seconds. I just thought it looked cool.

Quote

While I was folding laundry Joseph was pulling his boots on to go outside to play. He is heard saying this:

Joseph: Are these on the right feet, mom?
OUCH!!!
Ah, that would be no.


I never did get to say a word. I just laughed!

Off to Uganda

James packed his bag and another with work supplies and he is off to Uganda. He is currently here .
ADDENDUM: He is now in Amsterdam for a 3 hour layover. He'll be in Uganda Sunday morning, OUR TIME will be 9:50AM.

Kelsey Anna had a paper icon drive at Church and we received an overwhelming supply of paper icons. Yesterday we spent the day laminating 250 paper icons. James took with him all of them and a number of wooden icons as well. There is a great need, as we learned last August for them. The small mission parish he attended had a total of 6 icons in the whole Church. Since then he has also learned of a need in Tanzania as well. He hopes to some how get some of the icons there as well, hopefully through our friend Stacy who lives and teaches in Uganda.

Thank you for all your prayers!!! The challenge begins, here on the home front. But with grandma Faith here for 5 weeks we should do just fine! James has the rawer end of the deal as he's alone in a foreign country for 4 weeks.

Keep a watch on his blog as I'm sure he'll have lots to say ( as always) about his journey.

Prayers Please

In just 3 days James will be heading around the world to Uganda. He was there last summer for 3 weeks for work and is going back now for even longer...4 weeks.

He will be greatly missed in our home. He is the head of our house and supports us all in so many ways. It will be a challenge to have the VISIBLE source of strength far away. We'll chat and email but it won't be the same. I try not to complain to much. I try to be strong. I remind myself constantly of those wives who go without their husbands for 9-18months when serving in military all over the world. One month is nothing compared to that. But it is hard nonetheless.

I would appreciate your prayers and so would the children.


Please pray for safe travels and health while in Uganda for James as well.

Thank you so much.

"Living In Christ" Part 2

I really feel that I have been missing out so much because I have not studied the scriptures...hardly at all. I haven't moved past chapter 2 of this book yet. It's only 5 pages long but I've read it 3 times now, each time getting more. Going back to the study of scripture and the importance of it I want to share some more from this chapter. I'm not sure why I never really gave too much time and attention to studying the scriptures, I'm just not sure at all. But this next portion I will share really has me looking at things differently.


Even St. Anthony the Great and St. Pachomius, two great founders of monasticism, who did not have backgrounds in secular learning, insisted on the necessity of study. St. Anthony, who could not read, based his whole life on the impact of the Scripture readings he heard and memorized by attending Church from the time he was a young child. Pachomius insisted his monks be taught to read and that they spend every possible free moment memorizing the Scriptures; the Psalms and the entire New Testament were the required minimum. They were to recite these as they worked, walked, etc., as modern monastics might recite the Jesus Prayer.

Living in Christ: Essays on the Christian Life by an Orthodox Nun

I can tell you that the study of Scripture just moved from the middle/bottom of the home school curriculum all the way to the top of the list!

"Living In Christ"

I’m reading Living In Christ: Essays on the Christian Life by an Orthodox Nun

I just picked it up at the Church library because it looked good. I actually picked up the sequel first thinking that it looked really good and I can’t wait to read it, but I decided to read this first because she wrote it first. I just thought that while I read it I might quote from it now and again. Most of my posting goes on over at St. Brigid Farm nowadays and this will fill in here as to not completely abandon it.

Chapter 2 is titled “Prayer and Life.”

“That we may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 In these words the Lord speaks of what He desires for all of us; indeed of what he desires for the whole of His creation.

Prayer is the only way. But only as we pray in the Lord’s own Spirit of truth will our prayer be the doorway to abundant life. There are many forms of artificial prayer that lead us to dead ends. We can get so involved in the external mechanisms of prayer that we lose sight of the goal. It is possible even to worship ideas of prayer and lose the living God in the process.

*light bulb goes on over head* Whoa! Is that what has happened?

Prayer is nothing other than bringing our whole self, heart, mind and body, before God, that He may in turn fill us with His own abundant life. This is an effort that takes the whole of our lives and demands everything we can possibly bring to it. We must strive with every ounce of our effort, knowing that when we do so it is God who is working within us. … We must learn to use our minds rightly.

The great saints and fathers of the Church, such as the theologians, St. Basil, St. Gregory and St. John Chrysostom, and their successors, St. Gregory Palamas, the great champion of hesychastic prayer, had a solid foundation in secular studies. Moreover, their minds and consciences were trained through the study of the Old and New Testaments, the lives and writings of the saints and the liturgical texts of the Church.
Until very modern times, study meant getting as much "by heart" as possible. Today, television and education may leave us nearly incapable of memorizing words, let alone knowing them so well that we continually ponder them in our hearts.

The Lord told us: "Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34) More and more, we should be able to speak from these riches rather than out of the poverty of our hearts. We will learn to test our hearts by hearing how busy our mouths are in "normal" conversations with our self-centered thoughts, complaints and wishes rather than with the truth and beauty of God.

*another light...along with a loud knocking on the head*
How much of scripture do I have engraved in my heart? How much of the writings of the saints and liturgical texts do I have engraved in my mind? What have I been missing all these years? Years!?
More tomorrow. I'm going to wrap my ill-trained mind around this a little bit more.

(bolded parts are my emphasis)

Grandma's Respite

The other day I asked my mom if she ever remembers her mom taking time out each day to read scripture or did they do it as a family. It really was a dumb question if I had thought about it long enough for my grandfather was a minister and I remember my grandma so very well. I also have her bible and it’s pretty amazing. I asked the question nonetheless and her reply was, “We had evening family devotional - Mom would read during the day - I remember BEST as I got older - I think her Bible was always open on the table at HER spot!” Wow! That is so cool!

This is what I imagine my grandma’s “spot” looked like. She would have refreshment and other inspirational reading. As she worked through the day, I imagine her sitting here for a rest. A chance to connect to what was real and most important and than off to do more of what God expected of her. Be a help meet, a mother….a warrior.

This is what I see to be wrong with how I go about my day. My respites include this. How on earth am I to gain strength, peace, rest to go back and face the mounds of responsibility when this is where I come for my “rest”.

I love this example my grandma has left me. I love the look of my table as it is pictured above. May I be ever drawn to rest there at that seat, to pray and gain encouragement, peace, and strength from the One who can really give it to me.

A Contest

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

The winner will receive a brand new
Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:

From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

Long time no post.

Well, I guess keeping up 2 blogs is a little more than I bargained for. Oh Well! I'm still excited about my St. Brigid Farm blog and am doing better at keeping it updated daily, at least the egg count.

So life in general is pretty chaotic but I am pretty sure that a lot of the chaos is really due to ME and NOT just because I have 4 kids and a wanna-be-farm. You hear so often "how do you do it?" Well, my answer is "most of the time I don't". I'd like to think I do but in reality I don't. And the reason that is is not just because of the four home schooled children or the farm but because I am so cotton-pickin' unorganized!!! And because I have been so cotton-pickin' for pretty much all my life, any attempt to make myself organized usually seems to fail.
Well, yesterday I finally realized (as I've started for the billionth time to make some semblance of regime and orderliness with my children) that is it NOT going to happen overnight!!! Wow! What an epiphany!! So instead of falling to pieces because nobody cares a lick about my "new plan" I will just take small baby steps towards making the plan work. There are parts of the "plan" they are already used to so we got that down. For the next couple of days we'll concentrate on another part of the "plan" and so forth and such until it is habit!!

Anyway! Enough said on that! It's been awhile since I've written I have got to tell you a story, a kind of accidental experiment that took place here in my kitchen!
We received a pumpkin pie from Albertsons grocery store on Dec. 26th. It said "sell by Dec. 28". We ate a few pieces and then it sat in the fridge for about a week. Then I took it out and sat it on the counter to be thrown away but because it has all this plastic stuff that is not recyclable I hate to admit!!! that it sat on my counter for another week, kind of hidden by the coffee pot. I took it out yesterday to finally fill my trash can with it and noticed that there was not ONE SPOT of mold on the entire 2 pieces that were left. NOTHING!!!! Normally I wouldn't have thought twice about this but it hadn't been that long since I had BAKED a pumpkin pie from scratch! For Christmas day (so baked on Christmas Eve) I decided to bake a pumpkin pie. I had never done this but was excited to do so with my own pumpkin from the garden. Pie from scratch and everything. It was done in such haste that I forgot a very important ingredient....the sugar!! Well, because of this no one wanted to eat this pie! It sat on the counter...but not for 2 weeks like this other pie but my homemade NEEDED to be thrown away after 3 days!!!!! It was growing!! 3 days!

Have a happy day!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is 2008!!! In 2008 I will celebrate my FOURTEENTH wedding anniversary!, James will turn FORTY!, my BABY will turn SIX!, my eldest will turn TWELVE!, I will turn 38 and last but not least we will celebrate our SEVENTH anniversary of Chrismation into the Orthodox Church! I am astounded! Where does the time go? How can all this be taking place this year? For the first time in a really long time I have given myself time (huh?) to actually think about these things. My age has really hit me for the first time EVER! (Despite the fact that I still get carded when I buy a bottle of wine....heehee) I'm moving into a new phase of my life. My babies are no longer babies and there are no more coming (unless God has a surprise for me), and everyone around me is having babies. It is weird! To say the least! A new phase! A time to grow! To learn! To love and enjoy my children on a different level. Before they leave for their new phases. I certainly feel like it is going to happen far faster then I would like it to.

Enough deep contemplation!

We are on 10th day of Christmas I finally have found time to sit down, relax, write, upload. We had a wonderful 10 days of Christmas. We were blessed to have guests everyday for the first 9 days of Christmas. Visits from missed friends and family. It was so good to see everyone and take the time to visit not only old but new friends as well.
Here are some pictures of our Christmas....

The four kids on the 2nd day of Christmas.

The girls got matching "pioneer" dresses for Christmas. They are so cute! This picture really shows how much Kelsey is growing up! I can't believe she is that much taller than Charissa!

James got this crocheted hat from the choir director. She picked the pattern just for him!

To really appreciate how it looks you have to see a profile shot as well. The colors were picked to resemble chain maille.

We got this for Christmas....

It is really fun!!!!! All the kids enjoyed it! As well as the adults. A closer look reveals "Collect $200" when you pass "Grow. It's fun!

I pray you all had a blessed Nativity.

Christ is Born!!

May you and yours have a wonderful Nativity Season!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

to my boy, Nicholas. Today he turns 7!!!

He is all BOY...he used to tell me "I'm not cute ( or beautiful) I'm 'handstom'". He's swords and shields, cars and trucks, rifles and bow. He's BOY!

May God grant you many years!

Crafts

We have been doing a few more crafts then usual and I have invited my children to join me. The scrap wreath ( btw-I love that website)I decided to do for them. It looked easy enough for them all to do. Little did I know that even my BOYS would thoroughly enjoy this one. They really got into it. This is Kelsey's finished product. The boys have not finished theirs as of yet. Maybe today I'll set them back at it.

Another project I did was to make mittens for the kids. The only problem was that once they were cut they did not even go over the hand, let alone a thumb in. LOL I didn't know what I was doing. I did finally later, much later, find a tutorial at that SewMamaSew blog that will teach me to do it correctly. In the meantime I turned those not so workable mittens into ornaments and filled them with fudge and sent them to MN to my nieces and nephew for Christmas. Here is what they looked like. I especially love the edging!

Introductions...

Introducing my NEW Farm blog!!!!

Updates

One week from today is the Nativity of Christ! I cannot believe we are ending 2007 so very soon.
It certainly is true that time flies VERY fast the older you are. It's astonishing.

We are all dried out, or were all dried out. Sunday night we got nearly an inch of rain but it did nothing compared to the storm. I was able to remove the pallets from the chicks stall. We are trying to get the new coop done before the end of the year. So far I am just finishing up the floor. But that is the hardest part, the posts the floor sets on, so once that is done it'll go fast I think.

Last Saturday, the 15th, I took Firefly down to the farm where the buck is. She started really confusing me with her symptoms of heat. I was seeing different symptoms for like a week so finally I just called them and asked if I could bring her down "just to see". At the very least I would get what they call a buck rag. A rag rubbed all over the buck and sealed in a jar. When you think your goat is in heat you open it and they will get all excited over the smell. Smell? you may ask. Ah, the smell is UNREAL! Goats are seasonal breeders, including bucks. They call it "rut" for a buck. He goes into "rut". This (move about halfway down the page to the subtitle "bucky characteristics) is what he does when he is in "rut"....all for the sake of ATTRACTING his mate, and he'll take as many as he can get. Anyway, we introduced Firefly to her buck friend and she was instantly smitten. They "played" for about a half hour doing what goats are suppose to do when breeding. It all looked very much like she was bred. If it took we will have kids right about May 13. Butter will be bred the first week of January. Now back to that smell. See Firefly was with that buck for 30 minutes, playing with him, rubbing on him and he on her. Well, we had to bring that doe home...in our truck....with us. I am certain that if I were to go out to the truck right now it would still smell. I had "buck" smell on my hands ALL DAY!!!! It is UNREAL! No wonder it taints the milk with a buck nearby, and it DID taint the next days milk. She stunk so bad her milk was inedible the next day. Last night Kelsey went to the barn with me and said it still stinks. I don't notice anymore.

James has been blogging about our latest adventure so I guess I don't need to say much there. After the initial shock and not knowing how we were going to make it all work I am now fine with it. We have a plan and the plan will work. So we are car/truck shopping!

Have a blessed last week of Advent.

My complaints are completely unfounded!

In this post you'll read of the work I had to do on the day we got 7 inches of rain. I take it all back. Not the work, I had to do it, but the complaining. It was completely unfounded and I sit back now and say a prayer for these folks. These dairy farmers whose total income rests in this farm, or shall I say, what's left of it...

She is walking through their front yard.

Their livelihood laying there covered in mud.

Raymond dairy farmer Terry Smaciarz and his wife Lana survey damage to their 63-year-old barn. "I guess Mother Nature really kicked me in the butt," he said.

There are so many stories like this and the pictures are just unreal. Please keep the flood victims in WA in your prayers.

This last picture has nothing to do with the farm above but I just had to say, this is what happens when you build a road where you shouldn't build a road. You see it all the time. They just have to use the land for something even though it is steep and unbuildable. They build up these big cement walls fill in behind them and then build on top of it. Well, this is the outcome when it rains hard. Gee, I wonder what happened to that housing development in Bothell on Bothell/Everett Hwy. that was built completely on top of these big huge cement walls with back fill underneath them, with a big huge hill behind.
Lord, have mercy.

Sewing project

I don't get much time to sew and I don't feel like I know very much about it to warrant the time it takes away from other duties. But with Christmas drawing near I decided to do a little project. After making a test "lovey" and tweaking my sewing and design this is what I came up with. I'm very pleased with the outcome. This is my own design and I call it a "lovey". It's small, only about 20"x20" (probably not exactly square either). After my own experiences with my children wanting to carry around large "blankies" everywhere I think having a smaller "lovey" that is soft and comforting would be be of great benefit. So I decided to try my hand at creating something for some of the MANY babies coming. Kelsey was playing around with my machine, testing all the different stitches one can use, and that's how I came up with the stitching along the edges. I've never experimented beyond the regular, simple straight stitch. Doing this edging made it so much easier to finish off the edges without the folding of the thick fleece. I hope the babies love it as much as I do. Here is the finished product.
Embroidered face:

Edging:

Folded and ready to be gifted.

Today was an interesting day. Despite my handicaps today I feel that I had a very productive day.
My handicaps? I've been fighting a minor cold all week and yesterday evening it got the best of me. I completely lost my voice. Not just a little hoarse but COMPLETELY! Nothing above a whisper would come out of my mouth. It was pretty amusing for awhile. Kelsey quite enjoyed being "my voice", as she would say. And during the day today Charissa made some phone calls, she felt so grown up. James took today off and I'm very glad he did! He didn't know it was to help me out in this way but nonetheless I'm glad he was here to answer the phone and run errands and help me preserve jelly. Yes, that's where the productive part of the day comes in. I FINALLY canned all the juice I put away into the freezer from blackberries and apples.
We made jelly!

There are 36 jars total of varying sizes, some only hold probably less than a cup and large portion of them hold just over a cup and others are pints. I do know that I prepared 36+ cups of juice all together. I can't wait to try it on toast in the morning.

Apple Jelly