Krasiva

A little more quiet

2011-06-08T04:35:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take a break from this blog for awhile. We are incredibly busy now and I expect we'll stay that way for a bit longer.

I'm a little burned out on blogging these days. No words. I feel that I should listen to my instincts and lay low for a time.

Perhaps I'll change my mind next week.

Blessed summer to you all!

M.Michelle

No words

2011-05-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Christ is risen!

First there was lent and now my computer is down. I can grab a few minutes here and there on Fr.'s computer, but when he's free the last thing I want to do is get on a computer.

So my cyber connection has been altered drastically over the last few months.

And I love it.

My dishwasher is broken. My camera was broken (although I did get a new one).

No computer means more time with my girls. No dishwasher means doing the dishes slowly-with my girls. No camera meant making sure those memories were permanently etched in my mind and heart.

And I've loved it.

Blessed week to you all!

Christ is Risen!

2011-04-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Indeed He is risen!

Thou didst descend into the tomb,
O Immortal,
Thou didst destroy the power of death.
In victory didst Thou arise,
O Christ God,
Proclaiming,
"Rejoice" to the myrrh-bearing women,
granting peace to Thine Apostles,
and bestowing resurrection on the fallen.

English: Christ is risen! Indeed, He is risen!

Slavonic: Khristos Voskresye! Bo istinu voskresye!

Greek: Christos anesti! Alethos anesti!

Romanian: Hristos a inviat! Adeverat a inviat!

Arabic: El Messieh kahm! Hakken kahm!

Spanish: Cristo ha resusitado! En verdad ha resuscitado!

German: Christus ist erstanden! Wahrlich ist er erstanden!

Finnish: Kristus nousi kuolleista! Totistesti nousi!

Latin: Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!

Norwegian: Christus er oppstanden! Sandelig han er oppstanden!

Italian: Cristo e’ risorto! Veramente e’ risorto!

French: Le Christ est ressuscite! En verite il est ressuscite!

Japanese: Christos fukkatsu! Jitsu ni fukkatsu!

Oh my...

2011-04-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is going to be good.

Click on the link below to read about something very wonderful.

byztex.blogspot.com/2011/04/interview-with-ages-of-grace-author.html

**photo property of Evlogia

Two wonderful examples

2011-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Below are two excerpts taken from The Prologue from Ochrid for todays reading.

I love reading the Prologue. I can't image the struggles so many Christians have gone through (and continue to go through) to preserve the faith. It really puts my life as a Christian in perspective. The demons never sleep.

Go here to finish reading about these two great men or to start reading the lives of the saints daily, go here.

SAINT CYRIL, ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM

Cyril was born in Jerusalem during the reign of Constantine the Great and died during the reign of Theodosius the Great [315-386 A.D.] He was ordained a priest in 346 A.D. and succeeded to the throne of Blessed Maximus, Patriarch of Jerusalem in 350 A.D. On three occasions he was dethroned and banished into exile until finally, during the reign of Theodosius, he was restored and lived peacefully for eight years and then gave up his soul to the Lord. He underwent two difficult struggles: one, against the Arians, who became powerful under Constantius, the son of Constantine, and the other during the reign of Julian the Apostate [this turncoat] and with the Jews.

ANINUS, THE WONDER-WORKER

When Pionius, a stylite,was attacked and badly beaten by robbers some distance away from Aninus, Pionius decided to descend from the pillar and proceed to complain to the judges. St. Aninus "discerned the soul" of this stylite and his intention. He sent a letter to Pionius, by his lion, counseling him to abandon his intention, to forgive his assailants and to continue in his asceticism.

St. Anthony

2011-03-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

"As each day dawns, plan your life as though it were your last on earth, and keep yourself from sin."

~St. Anthony

Do Not Resent, Do Not React, Keep Inner Stillness

2011-03-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

This is a very good piece for you to read if you haven't already. Click here to go to the link.

Forgive me

2011-03-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

Lent is finally here. I've been looking forward to lent this year. I think it's mainly because of our busy schedule over the last year. Seems like we've been crazy busy with the house, homeschooling and life in general and I'm quite happy to slow things down.

I've got all sorts of ideas rolling around in my head that I want to do with my ladies during the next 40 days...

I'm going to be a bit quite on this site. I may post a few pictures, quotes or hymns, but I hope to remain quiet otherwise.

Tonight is forgiveness vespers. I ask your forgiveness for any sins I may have committed against you. If I have hurt or offended any of you, please forgive me.

A blessed lent to you and your families.

{this moment}

2011-03-04T16:13:00.001-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer - Teaser Trailer

2011-02-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

For only $4.99, you can now download The Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer on iTunes!

I cannot wait to see this!

h.t. Mat. Emily

Lent draws nigh...

2011-02-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. Alleluia.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. Alleluia.
For there they that had taken us captive required of us a song;
and they that had carried us away required of us a hymn, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. Alleluia.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? Alleluia.
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Alleluia.
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem as my chief joy. Alleluia.
Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem;
who said, Down with it, down with it, even to the foundation thereof. Alleluia.
O wretched daughter of Babylon, happy shall he be that shall reward thee as thou hast served us. Alleluia.
Happy shall he be, that shall take and dash thy little ones against the rock. Alleluia.

In Orthodox tradition, the fathers interpret the last verse as a reference to the “little thoughts – the logismoi” and dashing them against the Rock, who is Christ. Thus we rise early in the day and dash our wayward thoughts against the Rock of Christ who frees us from their tyranny. Alleluia. ~Fr. Stephen Freeman

{this moment}

2011-02-25T12:19:00.001-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

You see how her toes are curled?

2011-02-24T19:30:00.001-08:00

I love that joy.

{this moment}

2011-02-18T05:59:00.001-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment, inspired by soulemama}

Flexibility

2011-02-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

Do you ever watch your children and wonder how they are able to physically do the things they do? You know, like the baby squat. Where little ones can squat and play for a really long time with their bums about an inch from the floor.

Zoe likes to watch the world from the top of her head, but this one is always in a pretzel-like state. I've seen her reading in awkward looking positions and even watch movies like this.

I took this picture today and then I had the thought of how our interior life is much like our exterior. When children are young they are so quick to forgive and forget wrongs committed against them. When you teach a child something they remember it so easily, they take it to heart and believe it to be true. They build their lives on those truths and yet they remain limber and always ready for new teachings. But as we get older and our bodies get stiffer, as do our minds and our hearts. We hold on to disagreements. We remember wrongs committed against us. It's painful to stretch...and humble ourselves to one another.

Oh that I could be so flexible in my body as my girls! I'm sure I could find it again. Lots of people do.

But I would really love to be that flexible and willing to bend in my spirit.

{this moment}

2011-02-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Homeschooling

2011-02-08T11:32:00.001-08:00

However challenging it may be at times, I wouldn't have it any other way.

New home

2011-02-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Well we are working away on our new/old home. We are getting closer, but closer is coming slowly.

I've had several ask about where we are with the renovations. I'm not going to post pictures, but I'll tell you that we have to finish the kitchen, finish painting some of the rooms and sand the floors. We will then be done. Well, you know, done enough to move in. I'm sure the trim will be off for a few years. lol!

Anyhow, this is what the girls do when we go "work". Katherine quickly starts a fire. Yes, Fr. taught her how to start a fire, with him watching. She then gets her books and stays in front of the fireplace. She is quick to help if we need her, but otherwise she finds her perch in front of the fire.

The other two do whatever strikes their fancy. They run around outside, color and occasionally help.

The fireplace has been so nice to have there. It warms the place quite nicely and just adds a homey feel.

I am excited to be getting near the end. It must have been God's will to buy this house (yes I've had my doubts). Even after all we've been through and all the time and money it's taken to do the job, I still love and and have peace about buying the house. Thankfully.

A little slice of sunshine

2011-02-01T17:03:00.001-08:00

It's beautiful here now. The snow is gently falling outside. It's a bit overcast with the sun peeping through now and again.

We don't get much of this weather down this way, so the girls are loving it. Just last week it was in the mid 70's.

We're staying in for the most part. Reading, crocheting, cooking...

Hope your staying warm, wherever you live.

I'll leave you with a picture of our own little slice of sunshine. This one must dress herself, which is both good...and challenging. I'm sure you understand.

And so they grow

2011-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

My eldest, who turns nine this Friday, is wanting to cook more. She's wanting to try out new recipes and learn to spice and cut and on and on. "You know, do the whole thing myself," she says.

I wondered when this day would come. It's a little bittersweet I have to say. I am remembering this little one perched on a stool, grinding grain and tasting all of Papa's great creations. Now, she wants a repertoire of her own. A collection of recipes she can make.

Of course I want her to enjoy cooking and being creative in the kitchen. But what I really hope is for her to love being there. I want her to find joy in serving others-particularly her family. I want her to see the beauty of being a mother and see the salvific role this may well play in her life.

I have found that so much of my life, my salvation, is worked out here in my kitchen. My girls around me, talking, playing, helping, (not helping). I see so much of my sinful self when I'm tired and needing to make dinner while being followed around by a book toting toddler saying "Wead!, Mommy, Wead!" over and over. I have had my patience tried time and time again. I see my desire to hurry them along and just get it done. I must fold laundry. I must do the dishes. I must sweep. I must... I have seen opportunities for selfless love fly right out the window.

I had wise words burned into my heart by our much loved Vladyka JONAH, several years ago. He sat at my dinner table and listened attentively as I wailed on and on about my prayer life with children. How when I was single I had energy to pray and read my Bible. On and on were my shameful words...

And with his loving smile, all he said was: "No monastery, no elder will make you die to yourself quicker than children."

And in that instant I knew exactly what he meant. (Which mother wouldn't.) I'm not sure why I had to hear those words before I knew them to be true.

I wish I could say that I was instantly transformed into a better mother. Not so. I do, however, feel that those words pointed me in a new direction. I find it impossible to hear the truth and ignore it.

And so they grow, as do we. LIttle by little.

A giver

2011-01-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

"If Nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that-warm things, kind things, sweet things-help and comfort and laughter -and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all."

A little Princess ~Frances Hodgson Burnett

Oh this is a lovely book...

Speaking of gifts...one of the greatest gifts I have received is the ability to read to my girls. We follow the Charlotte Mason style of learning, so there is much reading that is required. We've always read to the girls. Since they were born we've read to them-and those days were precious. But the books the girls and I are reading these days are so wonderful. So full of beauty and wisdom and just good storytelling, that I feel I've started school all over again.

The books speak to me as well. How could they not? Many of the books we read I've read before in my youth. But somehow they stay with me now. I chew on them for hours after we've finished reading. The girls and I talk and talk about the books, mostly the characters. Each of them having their own thoughts and feelings. They too are chewing.

I could never have imagined a better life for myself.

Image: Jungle Tales by James Shannon

Don't ask

2011-01-13T09:55:00.001-08:00

'Cause I don't know...

S Prazdnikom!

2011-01-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Joyous feast of Theophany!

When Thou, O Lord wast baptized in the Jordan
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest
For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee,
Naming Thee His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove,
Confirmed the certainty of that word.
O Christ, our God, Who has manifested Thyself and enlightened the world
Glory to Thee.

A new year

2010-12-31T09:24:00.001-08:00

‎"Out in this, God's beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care."

~Handbook of Nature Study, Anna Botsford Comstock

I never make New Years resolutions. I know myself too well.

However, I do plan to make more of a concerted effort in a couple areas of my life this year. I won't bore you with the list, but I'll share that one thing I do hope to do, is stop staring at this silly screen so much. Oh, I'm not interested in a debate about computers and the internet. I agree that both can be good...and bad. I'm just weighing in on the bad side of the argument at the beginning of this year.

Neither my soul, nor the souls of my children, are greatly benefited from the internet. And this I must seriously consider.

May your new year be blessed!

The feast continues!

2010-12-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Oh dear, how could I have forgotten to post Nativity pictures!

Well, there are millions of pictures, but I'll spare you and just post a few.

I pray your week is lovely and that you are continuing the feast!

Head coverings

2010-12-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

In the Orthodox church, it is a pious custom for women to cover their heads in church. If you follow this custom, here is a wonderful link for different ways to wear head coverings. They have even included step by step directions!

One of the reasons I like the styles shown on this page is that for women with little children, loosely fitted head coverings can be a challenge. The styles shown are this page are close to the head, tightly wrapped and away from the face. Very practical.

Image: "Girl with a pearl earring" by Jan Vermeer

Guess who came to town?

2010-12-26T19:29:00.001-08:00

We had a visit from Vladyka JONAH last Wednesday. He was in town for Nativity and decided to join us for Vespers.

It's always a joy to have him here.

Eis polla eti despota!

Christ is Born!

2010-12-26T19:21:00.000-08:00

Glorify Him!

Lots of joy, here in the south. It's been a beautiful weekend. We have so much to be thankful for.

Blessed week to you as we continue the feast of the Nativity of our Lord!

Waiting quietly

2010-12-15T09:15:00.001-08:00

It's time to sign off for now. We'll spend the next week and a half cooking, cleaning, making gifts, attending services and trying to keep a quiet spirit for the remainder of the fast.

May your days be filled with peace and joy as we await the feast of the birth of our Lord!

Joyous feast!

2010-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Joyous feast of St. Herman of Alaska!

O blessed Father Herman of Alaska,
North star of Christ's holy Church,
The light of your holy life and great deeds
Guides those who follow the Orthodox way.
Together we lift high the Holy Cross
You planted firmly in America.
Let all behold and glorify Jesus Christ,
Singing his holy Resurrection.

Ma

2010-12-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

‎"Sometimes it is hard to be resigned to God's will. We all had scarlet fever in our place on Plum Creek, and for a while it was hard to get along. But I'm thankful that all the children were spared to us. Mary's a great comfort to me, Brother Alden. She has never once repined." ~Ma Ingalls

I'm loving these books right now more than I ever have. The girls are enthralled as well.

New read

2010-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading Remember Thy First Love by Archimandrite Zacharias, and it's a good one. As in, a really good one.

Here's where you can get it.

More on St. Nicholas

2010-12-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Me: "So, ladies, what do we know about St. Nicholas?"

Thea: "THAT HE'S A CHILD LIFE SAVER!"

Hope your day is beautiful, filled with the joy and wonders of this great saint!

Blessed Feast!

2010-12-05T15:21:00.000-08:00

S' prazknikom! A blessed and joyous feast of St. Nicholas!

Want to read more about the real Santa Claus? Go here.

Thou wast revealed to thy flock as a rule of faith,
an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence,
because of thy lowliness, the heights were opened to thee,
because of thy poverty, riches were granted to thee.
O holy Hierarch, Father NIcholas,
intercede with Christ our God
That our souls be saved.

Vesperal troparion

Just because

2010-12-03T16:54:00.001-08:00

A blessed weekend to you all!

More prayers please...

2010-12-03T09:38:00.001-08:00

Please pray for my god daughter Svetlana. She fell and broke her ankle (quite badly) which will require a couple of surgeries to fix. She is with child and has six sweet one's at home to take care of.

She and baby are doing well. I know that they would appreciate all the prayers you can send their way.

Prayers...

2010-12-01T05:41:00.000-08:00

Can I ask you to remember these people in your prayers? Their little baby Lucia is fighting Trisomy 18.

Also, there are two monasteries that could really use your prayers and your financial help:

The Nativity of our Lord Women's Monastery in Kemp, Texas.

And The Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael in Canones, N.M.

The Nativity of our Lord has a need for people to make regular donations to help keep the monastery going until they are able to be self sufficient. St. Michael's has a more immediate need to make the monk's cells warm for the winter. I'm sure that they could use regular donations as well.

Just think, if 100 people sent each of these monasteries $10 a month, that would be $1000 a month for each monastery. What a blessing that would be and what a huge difference it could make in their ministries.

S Prazdnikom!

2010-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

A blessed and joyous feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos!

The all-pure Temple of the Savior,
The precious Bridal Chamber and Virgin,
The sacred treasure of the glory of God,
Is led today into the house of the Lord,
And with her she bringeth the grace of the divine Spirit.
Of her God's angels sing in praise:
"She is indeed the heavenly Tabernacle."

Kontakion, tone 4

Just say...yes

2010-11-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Over the last several months a sweet russian "Baba" from our church kept asking me (through my husband who speaks russian) if she could come over and help with whatever I needed help doing. With the exception of a few meals, I've never had help in my home-except from my wonderful husband.

Nonetheless, I could never think of things I wanted this woman to do for me. Of course, the laundry has almost touched our 8' ceiling at times. And I won't publicly talk about the sorry state my kitchen has been in at times, o.k., most of the time. However, I could never imagine someone coming in and cleaning for me.

_______________________________________

I remember years ago when I was finishing up my Bachelors degree, I was working about three jobs to make ends meet, plus taking classes. It was a Saturday morning and there was a baptism at my church. I was exhausted, frazzled and late getting out the door and, therefore, sped to church. I got a ticket on the way.

I arrived at the baptism on time, but really bummed. Money was really tight for me at that time and I was fretting about the fine. A few fellow parishioners and I started talking and I shared my bad luck from earlier that morning. After the conversation broke and I was on my way out the door, one friend took me aside and offered me a $100.00 bill to cover the cost of my ticket. I kindly refused his offer, even after his insisting that I take it several times. I excused myself and hurried out the door to go to my job. An older and wiser parishioner followed me out and bid me farewell with a few extra words. He told me it was not a wise decision for me to have declined the man's offer. He then, kindly but firmly told me that a blessing goes two ways: the person who receives and the person who gives. He never called me foolish for not taking the money, but rather said I should learn to pray before I speak. That I should learn to think of the other man before myself.

Now, we all know that that man's blessing was not contingent upon my taking the money. The love for his neighbor was indeed blessed, I believe. But I spent the rest of the day thinking about those parting words of my friend, realizing that I had never really thought about blessings in that way.

_________________________________________

After hearing her countless pleas to come and help, Fr. Justin finally told her to just come over Tuesday at 9:00a.m. So, Tuesday morning she showed up to work. For the first few minutes I couldn't think of what to tell her to do.

I would think, "Oh, she can clean the bathroom, no, no, not the bathroom!" "She can clean the kitchen, no, no, not the kitchen!" So, after spending a moment or two mumbling about not having much for her to do (lol!), she just made that sweet little russian noise that Baba's make when they are trying to hush crying babies and shooed me away.

Well, I'll just say that it was a great joy having her here. Oh sure, my house had never been so clean. Seriously, Fr. walked up the stairs and took a deep breath and I'm sure wondered what that smell was (cleaning supplies). He's far too kind to make a comment. But I saw him take that deep breath. ;)

She buzzed around our house for about three hours. Cleaning this, cleaning that, talking russian to the girls, smiling.

Oh I'm so glad she came. Of course, I loved the clean house. But what I really loved was her presence. Her sweet spirit. The way she raised her glasses to get a closer look at something. Her exchange with Katya as she would try to communicate. The way she mumbled to herself. The way she scurried around peeking and cleaning and feeling useful.

She melted my heart when she made it to the girls room (I'm sure no explanation is needed here about the condition of their room) and she just said "Krasiva! Krasiva!" As she flickered her fingers through the sunlight to help me understand what she was talking about. It's true, the girl's room has beautiful natural light throughout the day. But it had been so long since I had noticed it. It seems like the only thing I can see when I walk in there is the mess. Sad, but true.

She showed up, unannounced, later in the week. She just came upstairs, smiling and mumbling and started fiddling around. She cleaned, folded a load of laundry. She spent an hour with Katya on her russian lessons, she went downstairs and cleaned the church. I followed her around for a minute trying to tell her that she didn't need to come and clean so much. That she could just sit and have a cup of tea. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, da, da, da...", She mumbled as she scooted past me.

There would have been a time when I would have seen this as an inconvenience-someone stopping by unannounced. But when she left on Thursday, her only words to me were "This is good." "Yes" I said, "This is good."

One soul just wanting other souls to be with, to help, to serve. What a blessing. What a joy. What a reminder.

Her help has been immeasurable. I cannot express how blessed I feel to have her help. But even if she never cleaned again, I would still love having her just come by for a cup of tea and to just be here. The girls love her and I simply adore watching Katya trying to get perfect english out of her. I giggle when I see this little russian woman lifting her glasses and squinting close up to Katya's mouth to see how the heck she's pronouncing a word.

I'm so glad I finally said yes. Well, I'm so glad my husband finally said yes for me. After fifteen years I think I've finally realized that a blessing does indeed go two ways. Now, praying before I speak. I'm still working on that one.

Good list to share

2010-11-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this from Molly Sabourin's blog. What, you haven't read her blog? Then do, you'll be blessed!

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.

Fall back

2010-11-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Ooooh, I love that it gets dark early now. It's 7:00 and my girls are headed for bed!

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight!

Image from here

The year is quickly coming to a close

2010-11-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already November!

The girls PE classes are over for the year. They will start up again mid January.

The last day of swim lessons were on Thursday, so I took a few pictures. Of course, I couldn't get anyone to swim for me. They just wanted to smile at the camera...

I think the girls and I will get a punch card at the natatorium and keep swimming through the winter. It's such a beautiful place to be when it's cold and rainy outside. It's always warm and cozy and loud with excitement. The south wall is glass from floor to ceiling. I bet it's a great place to be when it's snowing.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures of my girls having fun on the last day of class.

Oh, and we've decided to sell the house down the street. Just kidding. I'll give you an update soon.

A beautiful day!

2010-11-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

Look who woke me up early this morning. They came in completely illumined, bearing waffles, eggs and coffee. (Thank you my love!!)

They were so excited.

Katherine bought me a Pascha CD and Thea bought me a new icon of St. Valentina (I wonder what led her to this saint?). We spent the morning singing Paschal hymns and making plans for the day. All three girls made me beautiful artwork.

Oh these gifts bring me such joy. Not because I had asked for any of these things (even though I love them!), but because they chose them of their own free will.

To see a love for Christ and His church growing in the heart of my children is the greatest gift I could have received. Thank you Lord, I pray that it will always be so!

My birthdays get better and better every year. Not because of the little things they do for me, but because I grow in appreciation and love for them every, single, day. They are my little joys.

I'll leave you with a poem Katherine wrote for me in honor of this day:

Bird's nest, man's given stars,
Light Jesus' might.
To father's joy,
Mother's love.
To them that live above,
Look with one great eye,
To look at the sun.
Oh what fun, great Mom!
I can make a vow,
That I will love you
All the days of my life.

Katherine, age 8

An evening with the saints

2010-10-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a party at the church for those who do not wish to participate in halloween. A group of us got together, ordered pizza made delicious treats and let our children dress up as saints or Biblical characters.

We've done this party for several years and I've been to All Saints parties at other parishes and they are so much fun.

I'm always so impressed with the costumes (always homemade) and the choice of saints chosen by the children. Katherine chose the Empress Theodora. Thea chose Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist and Zoe chose Rebekah, the wife of Isaac.

Zoe insisted on wearing a pink dress under her head covering. She claimed that Rebekah wore pink. Chances are she didn't, but who am I to argue.

All of the children looked just wonderful, but I must confess that I loved the little one's choice of St. Mary of Egypt. The hair just gives her away!

A blessed week to you all!

A glimpse of things to come

2010-10-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the first room that is officially finished. Well, sort of. I've decided to change the color of the room.

Anyhow, the floor in this bedroom is done and it looks beautiful.

Thanks for all your hard work my love! Your margarita is waiting for you.

Even when he's tired...

2010-10-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Fr. came dragging in this evening ready for dinner. However, he was greeted by three, excited to see their Papa, little girls. Zoe immediately begged him to play the The Ladybug Game with her.

Before he could even think about anything, he sat down and played.

He's good that way.

The other two...

2010-10-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

And so to balance things out, here are the other two nutty chicks at the soccer game. While I was trying to take pictures of Fr. and Katherine, Thea and Zoe were constantly yelling "Hey mommy, take my picture!!" "Mommy, hey mommy, take my picture!"

Good Papa

2010-10-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today was Katya's last soccer game. For the final day, parents were invited to come and play with the children. Katherine was beside herself with joy at the thought of Fr. playing soccer with her in a game.

It was so fun to watch the kids with their parents. There was so much joy and love on the field. Lots of great laughter.

And guess what? Fr. Justin is a really good soccer player! I had no idea!

Oh how I loved watching those two play together today.

The young lady wearing a hat (with Katherine) is one of her coaches. She is as sweet and good natured as she looks. (And a great little coach too!)

Update

2010-10-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Oh dear we're busy. A little too busy right now.

Every time I come to my blog spot to write something, I don't because of the time it will take to log in.

We are working like mad to get into our new/old house. This has been one long haul. Even as we round the corner to getting the house "livable" we are still running into things that should be done...now-not later. Gosh, how many times have we heard/said "We should do this now, not later".

I'll just saying that the ceiling is about to come down out of our living room. Now, not later...

Oh, well.

My husband is doing an amazing job on the house. It will be nice when he's done.

On a different note, I've just switched over to using Charlotte Mason for our homeschool curriculum. We are doing a bare minimum plan right now. But I must say the timing for switching over was a huge blessing. I really love C.M.'s philosophy of teaching and it has saved my sanity during the last month. Because reading is a large part of this curriculum, it's been very relaxing, entertaining and interesting for me and the girls. The books are beautiful. Katherine does a fair amount of reading herself-which she loves. So, I'm thankful for this change.

We finished our adoption classes and now begin on the gigantic application process. We have so much information to collect. I figure if I do a few pages a day we'll eventually finish.

Our home remains at the top of our to do list. So, we press on. I'll be posting pictures in a few days. We've made some great progress. Please pray for us! We have much to do and Fr. is tired. He is a busy parish priest and now a full time general contractor. He is enjoying the work, but we would like to bring some of this work to a close.

Blessed week to you all!

From Zoe:

2010-10-08T14:03:00.001-07:00

"Mommy! I'm having a sour look at you!"

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia Part 2

2010-10-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia Part 1

2010-10-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Coming in for a landing

2010-10-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

We're wrapping up our hard working week around here today. Everyone is tired and a little sore. Fr. and I have some new decisions to make with the house. Seems we have some structural issues in the attic that should be attended to. Remember those wood burning stoves I was telling you about. Well, it's probably going to be wood burning stove, as in one wood stove.

Oh well.

____________________________________

Much suffering going on around me now. Please say an extra prayer tonight for the sick and the suffering, if you are able.

____________________________________

On another note, have you read "An Extraordinary Peace St. Seraphim, Flame of Sarov" by Archimandrite Lazarus (Moore)?

I've just gotten in to it, but so far it's a beautiful read.

It's one of those books that I just realized I am underlining every word. This reminder I loved:

"Immerse your mind within yourself and have activity in your heart;" in so doing, "the peace of God overshadows it and it is in a peaceful state."

I, for one, could use more peaceful states.

A blessed and joyous weekend to you!

House update

2010-09-30T15:56:00.001-07:00

Progress! Our plan is working! This week Fr. has installed the floor in the girl's bedroom. He is very close to being finished.

Tomorrow we have a chimney sweep coming out to help Fr. order parts for our wood stoves. We are putting one in the front of the house and another in the back. Hopefully, this will help with the heating costs in the winter. We have pretty mild winters down this way, so we should be in good shape.

The structural engineer will be here tomorrow to offer advice on our living room ceiling. There is a very slight sag in the living area and we can't figure out why. So, he'll (hopefully) come out and tell us how to remedy the problem so we can mark that off our list. We are praying that it's an easy fix. If not, we'll have a slight sag in our living room ceiling when you come to visit.

Monday the priests start on the kitchen!! This is big news! I'll be painting away in the bedrooms, bathroom and study.

We're on a roll!

Here are pictures of my hard working husband and my hard working girls taking a break.

I can see the letters now!

2010-09-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Over the last year I have been working to teach Thea to read. I've taken a very gentle approach because she wasn't really interested. So, I sort of put the teaching part of reading on the back burner and figured we'd get around to it soon enough. Instead I just continued with reading to her, hoping she would catch the bug.

Sure enough, this year my little student has shown much more enthusiasm with her school work-reading included. However, when we would sit down to do phonics, she would constantly complain that the letters were so tiny. After a few weeks of hearing that I decided to have her eyes checked. I went ahead and took both Katherine and Thea and they both needed reading glasses!

Thea has gone from barely sounding out letters to actually reading in about three weeks! This has been an amazing boost for her. Now, without prompting she gets her phonics and reading books and away we go. I'm so thrilled for her.

Thea chose purple wire rim glasses because Papa has wire rim glasses and her friend Sophie has some too! Katherine chose tortoise shell glasses, which I was surprised about. But she liked them and if she will wear them that's all I care about.

They both look so different, so much older! *Sigh*

May the work begin and end

2010-09-25T18:14:00.000-07:00

"The time has come." I say as I stumble into Fr. Justin's office the other night. Me, looking bleary eyed from being on the computer. Him looking bleary eyed from doing real work. He looked at me wearily and held his tongue, but I knew what he was thinking. "Do we have to have this conversation now?" However, I married a good man. He fully comprehends the meaning of marriage and the crowns of martyrdom that were placed upon our heads at our wedding. And despite my neurotic ramblings as of late, he took the Fr. Justin deep sigh, and gave me the look to proceed. "It's been a year since we started working on our house down the street and this project must come to a close." Well, here is our conversation:

Me: "Well, you see, Soulemama..."
Fr. Justin: "Soul what?!"
Me: "Soulemama...oh, sorry honey." "Well, she's this lady that has a really cool blog, and anyway, she and her husband bought an old house LAST MONTH and they are moving in this weekend!"
Fr. J. "OK..."
Me: "I have a plan!"
Fr. J., getting the weary look on his face again, told me to carry on.

And so I proceeded to tell Fr. my plan about needing large blocks of time to get anything accomplished and that we just needed to bite the bullet and do it. He agreed.

So,starting Monday morning at 5:00a.m. Fr. Justin, myself and our three girls will rise, pray, eat and start working until 11:00a.m., Monday through Friday, until the house is finished. I'll work and homeschool at the same time and what can't be done there can be done after a bath and lunch.

We just found out today that a dear friend, who is a very accomplished G.C., and an amazing woodworker (he is now a priest), is going to come up and help us with the kitchen. When Fr. gave me this news this morning you would have thought we'd won the lottery. And to be quite honest with you, it feels like we have.

We'll take this week to finish up smaller projects throughout the house, then next Monday we (well, the priests) will tackle the kitchen. Meanwhile, I'll be painting and teaching. I am thrilled and so very ready to be in this house. Fall is my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to get in and start a fire (in the fireplace of course). :)

I am hesitant to set a goal. I know that goals are good, but we've set so many only to see them come and go. However, I'm going to step out on a limb and say that we hope to be in by November 1st, but for sure no later than December 1st. (Is that you, Fr. Justin, I hear laughing from your computer?!?)

I'll keep you posted.

A blessed and joyous week to you all!

Great blessings

2010-09-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

There are two blogs that I have been following that you should visit. Both of these little ones, and their families, need your prayers. The parents of these blogs probably have no idea how much they are ministering to those of us who have the blessing of reading and sharing in their experience.

May the Lord have mercy on us all!

Go here and here.

"The MOST poisonous caterpillar in the U.S.!"

2010-09-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Those are the words Katherine blurted out to me on the phone. You see I was at our local area thrift store taking advantage of a 50% off sale today, when I saw some books that I thought might be a good purchase and decided to call Fr. about them. As I was discussing the books, I hear someone moaning in the background. Finally, Fr. says "I have to go. Thea was just bitten by a poisonous caterpillar and she's in a lot of pain."

So, by the end of the conversation, I learned that they had already googled the furry fellow and found out that he was none other than a Southern Puss Caterpillar, and that he is poisonous.

Wouldn't you know it. I was just passing through the book isle on my way over to the ladies section. I hadn't intended on getting myself anything today, but at 50% off it's a bit of a crime not to at least take a peek. It was probably providential. My last words to Fr. as I went out the door were "Don't worry, I'm just getting a few dresses for Katherine to grow into!"

So, that took care of any overspending I might have done.

Anyhow, back to my baby. We went to the Dr., at his request, and had the sting looked at. I was actually rather surprised that he wanted to see her. He's a pretty hands off kind of Dr. and usually just suggests that we keep an eye on things. Nonetheless, off we went only to get a lecture about things to look for with stings and bites from poisonous insects: swelling around the lips, breathing problems, odd behavior...

So, that was that and Thea milked her injury for all that she could.

I took a picture of the little guy before we set him free. My photo was not good so I borrowed this one from Bugs in the news.

And that was the excitement for the day. Well, until we took the girls to Chuck E Cheese for Zoe's birthday.

"They just keep falling out!"

2010-09-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

Says Thea.

"What happens if they all fall out at the same time!?"

Many years my girl!

2010-09-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

This little one was given to us four years ago! It's been a blessing to have you in our lives! We love you Zoe Marie!

Joyous Feast!

2010-09-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

S Prazdnikom! A blessed and joyous feast of the Elevation of the Precious and Life giving cross!

As thou wast voluntarily crucified for our sake, O Christ God,
so grant mercy to those who are called by Thy name;
make all Orthodox Christians glad by Thy power,
granting them victories over the enemy,
by bestowing on them the invincible trophy,
Thy weapon of peace.

The world cup-small town style

2010-09-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Katherine watched bits of the world cup this year with papa. While it was airing I would occasionally find the two huddled in front of his computer in a world of their own. She has never been the same since.

So, as you can image, when we allowed the girls to choose their sport this year, Katherine chose soccer.

Maybe I should back up and tell you that I am not a sports fan. I've tried and I just can't get into it-especially football, but that's another post.

Anyhow, today was Katherine's first soccer meet. Two hours of joy for her. They practice for a 50 minutes or so, take a 20 minute break, then scrimmage for 50 minutes.

I should confess at this point that as much as I love my girls I was not looking forward to two hours of soccer today. However, I was pleasantly surprised that the time went by pretty quickly. Plus, as all parents can attest, watching your children do things that really bring them joy is beautiful and fun.

I was also entertained by her enthusiasm on the field. You would have thought that she was playing the world cup. Every time her team would score she would pump her fists in the air and do a couple of jumps. I'm sure the other kids were thinking "Who is the new cheerleader?" But I loved watching her and even thought that I might, might become a soccer fan at the end of all this.

Zoe means life

2010-09-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

And this one is full of it.

Labor Day Picnic

2010-09-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Labor Day picnic at the church yesterday. I love these picnics. We hold three a year: Memorial Day, Pascha and Labor Day. They are such a blessing.

I love getting to meet and talk with new people. Or spending time with folks that I rarely get to see.

I didn't take very many pictures (didn't I say that last time?). However, I always manage to remember to grab the camera for the children's games. They are my favorite.

Is is my imagination, or does it look like Zoe was reveling in the thought of blasting me with that balloon?

Blessed week to you all!

Those saints

2010-09-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Katherine: "Mommy, remember those studies we used to do about the saints? Why don't we do them anymore? I really loved them."

I had intended on incorporating Letters of Grace back into our studies. I guess I didn't do it fast enough.

She

2010-09-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

will be the mother of many. Mark my words. I can see it coming.

Every time we have the opportunity to babysit, both Katherine and Thea love taking care of the babies. They love feeding them and changing the diapers. And they both are such good little mothers. But something always happens between the babies and this little girl. There is always some sort of bond that is created that is so sweet. It's the way she holds them. The way she looks into their eyes without looking away. The way she holds their little fingers while feeding them. It's so incredibly beautiful.

After I took this picture of Thea holding baby E.. I said "Are you going to have ten kids or what?" Without missing a beat, and without breaking the gaze with the baby, she answered "Yes mommy, five boys and five girls."

Out and about

2010-08-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

We have cabin fever over this way. It's been so hot down here that we spend most of our time indoors. But lately the temps have hovered around the low 90's, instead of around the 105's, and so we thought we'd try getting outside for a bit of nature.

Yesterday, upon the recommendation of a friend, we ventured over to Mineral Wells State Park. The lake is small, but pretty. However, the rock climbing area is really cool. The climb is down into canyons that are beautiful. The girls loved it. Thankfully, there were stairs to go down into the canyons, which enabled us to go down and explore. The girls were troopers, making the whole climb themselves-even Zoe.

We spent a few hours at the park climbing and then swimming. It was a great time. In about a month when the temps drop a little more it will be a perfect trip for the day or for camping.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the canyon hike, however, here are a few pics of the girls cooling off in the lake.

Finally

2010-08-28T19:44:00.001-07:00

We were having a quick bite of watermelon tonight before vigil and with her father's unflappable demeanor announced "My tooth just came out...finally".

Our local Fair and Rodeo

2010-08-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

A friend recently gave us tickets to our local county fair and rodeo. So, we ate breakfast for dinner last night, threw on our boots, braided our hair, put on our cowboy hats and headed out the door.

I think I'm getting old...

I miss the days when livestock, handmade and homemade goods were the central theme of a local county fair. These days it's pretty commercialized and the things they are selling are not unique to a fair-much less locally made.

I didn't see one fresh piece of produce last night. Nor did I see anything homemade. The food court has been reduced to all those fast food booths that sell the same stuff: corny dogs, french fries, funnel cakes...

We did enjoy the rodeo, however. And a rodeo is a rodeo after all...right? Ok, I'll confess that even during the rodeo I asked Fr. what had happened to country music? Now, I'm not fan of modern country music. And I don't even listen to classic country music. But wouldn't a nice dose of Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson be an appropriate touch for a fair? How about some bluegrass? Instead every time the bull riders came barreling out of the shoot we heard AC/DC or Aerosmith. Seriously! (Sorry to all you rock fans. I'm feeling a little melancholy right now.)

It kinda made me sad. I grew up with old country fairs, and they were way more fun, beautiful, and interesting. We thought it was something to buy a slice of homemade pie, find a soft spot on the grass and listen to some old guys pckin' on their banjos. We loved seeing who's tomatoes would win a blue ribbon, who's pig was the fattest...

Nonetheless! The girls had a blast. Of course they love all the rides and gross food. They don't care about homemade pies and cakes, or hearing banjos and fiddles. And they couldn't care less that the cowgirls no longer wear jeans with their boots but tiny little remnants of what was once a pair of jeans.

So, I eventually found my joy, as it usually happens, with watching my girls have fun. They love those fast crazy rides that make my back hurt just watching them. They even talked me into riding the roller coaster with them at the end and I swore off roller coasters years ago!

You know your a Texan when:

2010-08-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

Your husband announces that since it's cooled off (to 97 degrees!) that he'll go out and chop down a tree. I guess when it's been 107, 97 is a cool down.

We started homeschooling today. We got off to a slow start. We went to a wonderful wedding last night with an incredible reception. The wedding was at 3:00, we got home at 9:30! Fun, fun, fun.

The girls danced until the very end.

On the way home they both were planning their weddings and saying that at their wedding receptions, they were going to dance all night long!

Blessed week to you all!

A place to lay her head

2010-08-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

We have three bedrooms in our home (here in the rectory). The two oldest share a room, Fr. and I have a room and Zoe had a room to herself-well sort of. She actually had a futon in the homeschool room/third bedroom. Which she would give up when we had overnight guests. Which she would get out of every night (and get into my bed). Which would be covered everyday with books and maps and homeschool paraphernalia.

In other words, she really didn't have her own space. Not a place that was in her corner of the room, with her dolls and animals. Oh yeah, and her pink purse. So, Fr. and I decided the other night that we had to get Zoe her own little niche in our world.

Of course we had planned to get a bed for her when we moved. But that seems to be taking forever, so we decided it had to be now. I jumped on Craigslist and found a twin size trundle bed for very cheap. I love Craigslist.

Fr. Justin, being the awesome man that he is, drove into Dallas during 5:00 traffic (because it was first come first serve) and snagged Zoe her little nest. So while Fr. went to get the bed, the girls and I created a corner for Zoe in their bedroom.

She waited excitedly for him to get home. She sat and sat with all her stuffed animals, her Grandma Ocean blanket and her pink purse. Fr. finally drove in around bed time to a really big smile. We hauled it up the stairs and made it up for her. She slept long and hard that night and told us the next morning how cozy it was.

I felt so bad for not having done this for her sooner. Another reminder to slow down and be attentive.

Here are a couple of pics of Zoe in her new nest.

From Zoe:

2010-08-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

"Father Justin what are you doing in my mama's wallet?"

Blessed week to you all!

It doesn't take much

2010-08-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

to make us happy these days.

Like little unexpected rain storm. Texas is good for that.

Amazing what a little change of scenery can do for the spirits.

I'm ready for Fall...

2010-08-04T16:37:00.001-07:00

Well, it's getting to be that time of the year again. It's hot, really hot, down here in the South. The girls and I usually run out of steam about this time every year. We've been reading a good bit, but we need something new. Like, some new pencils and fresh packages of drawing paper. Some new paint and craft supplies. A new drawing book.

I've gotten my homeschool ducks in a row and I'm ready to get started up again. I'll be ordering the few things we need to get going and they'll be here by early next week.

We're ready.

Hope your summer has been a good one!

Guess who learned how to ride a bike on vacation?

2010-07-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

The big six!

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Thea's sixth birthday while we were on vacation. It was a lovely day with dinner, cake, gifts and a swim in the pool. Happy birthday my love! I thank God for you!

Low tides = great treasures

2010-07-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

They had the lowest tide of the year while we were on the island. Walks on the beach are always wonderful, however, when the tide is low it's awesome. Lot's of beautiful things to explore, more land to cover.

I love how the beach makes people quiet and thoughtful. To be sure the girls ran and played, but they were mostly quiet and a bit contemplative while on the beach. I would often find the girls digging, doodling, picking things up and examining, collecting treasures.

I sure would love to incorporate a little beach life into our homeschooling. :)

"O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."

2010-07-20T16:33:00.000-07:00

There and back

2010-07-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

Our time on the road.

We're home

2010-07-17T16:09:00.001-07:00

We're home now. I can't believe our time in the N.W. has come and gone. We had a beautiful visit with friends and family. Our time there just gets richer every year.

I'll leave you with this beautiful picture of Montana and a promise to post more pics this week.

Until we return...

2010-06-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's time to get away for a bit.

Blessed summer to you all!

Photo of Whidbey Island by Landingaday.wordpress.com

Audio books for children

2010-06-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready to leave on our annual trip to the N.W.! We're spending the next couple of weeks getting a few things in order.

I want to order the girls some good audio books for the trip. We have a few of the "Adventures in Odyssey" and the "Chronicles of Narnia". The Narnia c.d. is great because it is dramatized and very exciting. What are some of your children's favorites?

A blessed week to you all!

Words from the Holy Mountain

2010-06-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you Gretchen Joanna for posting this!

An offspring of [the sin of] pride is censure, which is unfortunately also a habit of many Christians, who tend to concern themselves more with others than themselves. This is a phenomenon of our time and of a society that pushes people into a continuous observation of others, and not of the self.
Modern man’s myriad occupations and activities do not want him to ever remain alone to study, to contemplate, to pray, to attain self-awareness, self critique, self-control and to be reminded of death. The so-called Mass Media are incessantly preoccupied with scandal-seeking, persistently and at length, with human passions, with sins, with others’ misdemeanors. These kinds of things provoke, impress, and, even if they do not scandalize, they nevertheless burden the soul and the mind with filth and ugliness and they actually reassure us, by making us believe that “we are better” than those advertised.
Thus, a person becomes accustomed to the mediocrity, the tepidity and the transience of superficial day-to-day life, never comparing himself to saints and heroes. This is how censure prevails in our time – by giving man the impression that he is justly imposing a kind of cleansing, by mud-slinging at others, albeit contaminating himself by generating malice, hatred, hostility, resentfulness, envy and frigidity. Saint Maximos the Confessor in fact states that the one who constantly scrutinizes others’ sins, or judges his brothers based on suspicion only, has not even begun to repent, nor has he begun any research into discovering his own sins.
~Fr. Moses of the Holy Mount of Athos

Sweetness

2010-06-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Guess what we've been up to?

A parishioner needed a babysitter for two weeks and the girls and I jumped at the chance. This sweet little one is four months old and is so much fun. So, we've been changing, feeding, burping and putting little baby to sleep for the last week and a half.

Thea was looking deeply into her eye's the other day as she was feeding her and with all the seriousness she could muster (and without breaking her gaze with the baby) said "Mommy, we need a baby."

Happy Anniversary my love!

2010-05-28T11:42:00.001-07:00

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary! I only have one regret marrying him...that I didn't do it sooner!

Pictured are Fr. Justin, Katherine, 4, Thea, 2 and Zoe 1 month.

Our little choir

2010-05-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

The other evening we had Vespers at the church and there was neither a reader nor a choir. So, the girls and I took the positions.

It brought back such sweet memories of when we started this mission. Katya was three months old and I was the choir and reader at an occasional week day service. I'd wrap Katya on my chest and away we'd go.

The girls were thrilled when Fr. said they could sing. I had to grab the camera and snap a picture of the trio. I pray they grow up singing together in church!

Have you read this book?

2010-05-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have been reading this book upon the recommendation of a local area priest. I am loving it. So much great wisdom.

Go here to order.

"Our Thoughts Determine our Lives"
The life and teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
Translated by Ana Smiljanic

A day on the lake

2010-05-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to a crawfish boil fundraiser for our local area women's monastery "The Nativity of our Lord". It was great fun and the setting was beautiful. The couple who hosted the fundraiser held it at their house on Lake Tawakoni, out in East Texas.

The girls ate hot dogs, swam in the lake and in the hot tub, went for boat rides, jumped in the lake off the pier. It was a fun day for them.

I grew up on Lake Texoma, a very large and beautiful lake in North Texas. Being on the lake brought back such sweet memories of my childhood. During the summer we would camp every single weekend. And through the week, while my dad was working, my mom would load up the neighborhood kids and take us all to the lake. (I'm not sure I would have the nerve to take all the neighborhood kids to the lake myself, but she seemed happy to do it.)

Anyhow, a great time was had by all.

I took a few pics of the boat ride, Katherine jumping off the pier and Thea loving floating around in the lake and a happy wet Zoe.

(I shan't mention that lake Tawakoni is known for it's unusually large population of water mocassin snakes. Did you just shudder? I did.)

A glimpse of things to come...

2010-05-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

We're painting!

Thea and I finally came to a compromise on the pink walls in the playroom. Whew! That was no easy task. She wanted really, really dark pink and, well, I wanted a pink so pale it looked white. Anyhow, I think her color will work just fine.

Katherine picked a turquoise called "Spa".

I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Can someone please answer a question for me?

2010-05-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Where does time go?

This is my Zoe, who, by the way, will turn FOUR on Elevation of the Cross. I kid you not, it seems like I had her last week. Oh, the precious memories we've made here in this house.

As excited as I am to move, it will be bittersweet. This place is home to all of us. Fr. and I were married in 2000 and we moved up here when Katya was three months old in April of 2002.

Can you tell I'm cleaning and getting ready for a move? Stay tuned for some emotional posts, a few tears and some great pictures of boxes headed to the thrift store. Soon, you'll be saying "All right already! Enough!"

Nah, not you all.

A blessed week to you all!

Make your own pizza night

2010-05-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Last night we made pizzas. We've been making our own pizzas for years and they are so delicious. Fr. Justin has the crust down to perfection (from the Dad's cookbook I mentioned in an earlier post).

We did things a little different last night and let the girls make their own mini pizzas. It was a hit. Even though they all like the same toppings, they had a blast preparing their very own pies. Katherine finished her's off by putting her initial on the top. (Oh, and if you look close enough you can seeing the anchovies too. Yep, the girls love anchovies. Ack!)

Making pizzas, and cooking in general, is one of our favorite ways to spend time together as a family. We are really fortunate in that Fr. Justin loves to cook and so he is usually in the kitchen when I make dinner. Of course the girls love helping in the kitchen. I prepare the meals mostly these days, but he can always be found hovering around, adding spices and tasting as I go along. (This is a good thing for everyone since I cook out of necessity and he cooks out of love).

A blessed weekend to you all!

Ahhhhhhhh...

2010-05-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Did you hear that? That was a huge sigh of relief. Fr. and I are finished with the apartment behind our house that burned in January.

Fr. Justin has worked tirelessly on that house and it looks great. Of course our back yard looks like a landfill and the inside of our house is filled with scrap lumber and all sorts of trash from the apartment. But the inside of the apartment is lovely. Well done Fr.!

We'll spend the next week or so cleaning up a bit...OK a lot. Then, it's back to work on the main house.

I tried to get Fr. to take a couple of weeks off but no deal. He's ready to get going again on our house. I sort of feel the same way. I thought I'd be really burned out but I'm actually motivated to get finished with the rest, to move, to make our house a home.

I'm ready to start packing. I'm ready to start purging. There seems to be a lot of talk lately on blogs and with friends (we have three newborns in our parish and another on the way, so there's been a lot of nesting going on around here!) of clean homes and simplicity and it's gotten me in the mood. Now if I can just stay in the mood.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. They are felt.

On modesty and little girl's dresses.

2010-05-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

I'll go ahead a admit that I'm a bit prudish when it comes to clothing. I am not a fan of most modern clothing-especially for little girls. I am always shocked at what I see in the stores for young ladies to wear.

I get a lot of questions from mothers at our parish, and some of the times fellow bloggers, about how I dress the girls. So, I thought I'd jot down a couple of things that have helped me. Now, please keep in mind that these are decisions that I have made for my girls. I have no intention of trying to tell anyone else how to dress their children. We each do what we are able and what we think is best.

The most frequently asked question is if I make our girls wear dresses all the time. No, I don't. We did do that for a time (and I loved it) but the girls complained about not being able to play in them and I also got tired of digging dress hems out of bike chains. Also, I've lost several perfectly good dresses to stains from outdoor play and painting, etc. So, I threw that idea out the window.

My rule for dresses is this: Anytime we go anywhere we put on a dress. If we are at home they can wear whatever they want but if we leave the house for a special reason (grocery store doesn't count, besides I go without them) or if we are having guests, we put on a dress. Of course, vacation is different too (except when we go to church). They have no problems with these rules and don't even really think about them.

Another frequently asked question is where I get dresses for the girls that are modest, that is, below the knees. I purchase their dresses a couple of sizes too big. If the dress is sleeveless, they put a t-shirt on underneath.

Another question is where I get their pantaloons. If you look up pantaloons on the internet, they can be pretty pricey. The cheapest I've ever paid for pantaloons was at the thrift store. The second cheapest was on Etsy. Just do a search for girls/toddler pantaloons and there are tons of them. My girls don't always wear pantaloons. I keep an eye out at the thrift store for crop pants and things that I know would work well under a dress. (For those of you who sew, pantaloons are easy to make!)

I am adamant about my girls having something at least knee length on under their dresses-from newborn up-in church. When they were babies I would leave the bloomers in the drawer when it was time for church and put on leggings, crop pants or pantaloons. I saved the bloomers for home use. I dress the girls the most modestly in church.

The last question is where I get their dresses. I do all my shopping at thrift stores. I buy their underwear and socks and shoes at a retail store, but all else comes from the thrift stores. About once a month I hit all the thrift stores in town looking for any items we might need. Typically, I look for Katherine dresses because she is the oldest and outgrows her dresses. The other two get hand me downs.

I have Fr. watch the girls while I do a little round at the shops. This gives me a little time away and plus I can shop faster without them. The other reason I don't take them is so that Thea and Zoe don't feel left out. Katherine is usually the one that gets the new dresses, but occasionally I'll pick up something for the little ones. When I get a new item I just come home, throw it in the wash and it appears in their closet. Usually when Katherine gets a new dress, I'll pull a dress from her collection that's getting too short and pass it to Thea, I'll do the same for Zoe. No attention or fuss is made.

I just had a nice little revelation at the thrift store last week. Katherine has outgrown her play shorts so I stopped in to one thrift store close by to see what they had. As I perused the girl's shorts I couldn't believe how short they were (this is always a problem for me). I looked around and saw the boys shorts hanging there. I went over and looked through the rack. I was surprise at the length (long-which young boy wears hot pants?) and the price (much cheaper than the girls). So, I went over to the size 8 and got her four neutral colored, knee length shorts for $2.00 each! I was so excited!

Now, it may seem like I'm a bit obsessed with the way the girls dress. I'm really not. I'm just trying to cultivate a few modest and feminine habits in my ladies. If I expect them to dress modestly later, it must start early. At this point the girls know how we dress, when and where. I don't even have to tell them anymore.

I hope this helps any of you who have the same goals for dressing your ladies.

"Dad's Own Cook Book"

2010-05-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this cookbook? It is a great book to have on your shelf. The recipes are easy and delicious. Amazon sells it for around $10.00.

The brownie recipe in this book is the very best I have ever tasted. Also, we make the scones at least once a week.

This would be a great cookbook for young budding cooks.

Enjoy!

A friendly chat

2010-05-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

We live in a rectory on the second floor of our parish. Anyhow, we have a friendly relationship with our Baptist neighbors to the East. They are lovely people and the girls go over and work in the yard with them when they are out and about.

The other evening we were sitting at the dining room table after dinner talking and the girls heard our neighbors. As always, the girls gathered in front of the window and yelled hello, asking how they were and other such niceties.

Well, I'll just recount the conversation:

GIRLS: "HI MR. M.!!!!" "WERE HAVING POPSICLES!!"

MR. M. "OH I LOVE POPSICLES!!" "WHAT FLAVOR?"

THEA: "I'M HAVING STRAWBERRY AND KAFERINE AND ZOE ARE HAVING LIME" "KAFERINE LIKES THE LIME BECAUSE IT TASTES LIKE MARGARITAS!"

MR. M. "OH, I SEE..."

GIRLS: "GOODNIGHT MR. M. WE LOVE YOU!!"

Fr. Justin and I just sort of stare at one another with the deer in the headlights look.

Now, I'll give a bit of explanation for those of you who are sensitive to such conversations. The girls know what margaritas taste like because we having given them a tiny taste before. No, we do not let them drink margaritas.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the house.

2010-05-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have a five year old that loves all things girl. My mom gave her some finger nail polish for Christmas and she loves it.

I am not a makeup fingernail polish kind of gal, but I'm not against it either. I simply want my ladies to understand their beauty is not defined through such means.

Katherine is with me in that she is not interested. However, you can see in the previous post that she obliged Thea by allowing her to paint her nails. Thea convinced Katherine to do it by saying "Kaferine, you'll love it!"

Zoe and Thea are very much into it and have recently reminded me that they are almost out of polish. I don't suppose that I could get them to forget about the stuff huh? Probably not.

Well, it's happened.

2010-05-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Anytime I am looking for my eldest daughter now, this is what I find. She has finally become a serious reader. I am so thankful for this. I had hoped that she would be a lover of books and I pray it continues.

What was the book that hooked her? Harry Potter. Fr. Justin has been reading the books to her-but just not fast enough. One afternoon as she was complaining that we weren't reading to her at the pace she wanted, I told her to read it herself if she couldn't wait. And so she has.

Now, to get number two to start reading. Thea claims that she doesn't want to read. She said "Why should I read Mommy when you and Papa read to me?" Hmmm.

Quick Update on Miss Zoe

2010-04-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the Dr. today for Zoe and all seems to be headed in a good direction. He said her lungs sound good and her fever is gone. He thinks Zoe may have some asthma going on and so we'll start looking into getting her some help with her lungs.

Thank you all for your prayers!
M.Michelle

Linen, always a conversation starter

2010-04-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Young male nurse who helped us at the ER: "Is that linen?"

Me: "Huh?"

RN: "Is that linen? Your shirt, is that linen?"

Me: "Uh, yeah, it is."

RN: "I love linen."

Me: "Uh, yeah..."

So, we had to take our little Zoe to the Children's Hospital ER Sunday night. She's been battling with what we thought was pneumonia for about a week. She's not responded to antibiotics at all so we thought she needed help. We found out that she has a respiratory virus, hence the reason antibiotics aren't working.

Anyhow, the guy who checked us in and got us in a room was the person inquiring about my linen shirt. Seems he's in to the whole medieval dress up thing. He told us that it's hard and expensive to find the type of clothing for his extra curricular activity, so he taught himself how to sew and now makes his own clothes. At first I thought his conversation was a little odd, given the circumstances and all, but then I realized that he was just being kind. He was making conversation-any conversation to pass a few minutes, to lighten up the situation a bit...to take the edge off. It worked.

By the time we were finished and walking out the door we were talking to everyone in our area of the ER like we had known them for years. Everyone was smiling and waving and cramming more stickers into Zoe's hands-wishing her the very best.

What a job. That place was absolutely nothing short of insane. From where I was sitting it was total chaos. Our nurse told us it was a really calm night. Everyone there was so very kind-except for the patients-all children (a constant stream of no less than 200 or so)-who were screaming and crying and sick and in pain.

I was so thankful for those people who must really love their jobs. How else could they do it? I mean when I got there I was stressed. At that point Zoe had been sleeping for about a week with a fever floating between 102 and 105. Her lungs didn't sound good. I knew something was very wrong. So, by the time we made the decision to go to the hospital I was pretty worried. Everyone there made a concerted effort to smile and speak kindly to us. I'm sure they knew I was worried-which parent who brings their child to the ER isn't? Nonetheless, I was amazed at their patience and their joy. Really. I sat and watched them interact with very upset parents and children and all the employees were calm, loving and genuinely concerned for every person they encountered. I was amazed and impressed with it all.

We're home now, thanks be to God. The Dr. didn't feel Zoe warranted a stay-just close monitoring. If she's not doing well in a few days we will go in for some tests. I ask for your prayers for this little one. She needs to make some improvement over the next couple of days. Also, say a little prayer for all those Dr.'s and nurses, EMT's, paramedics and employees who work crazy hours and take care of people. I personally can't imagine doing those jobs, but clearly they can.

Glory to God for all things

2010-04-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

For years I worked for a very successful company in the film industry as the general manager. My responsibilities were a little of this, a little of that and a lot of everything. One of the things I prided myself on while in the work force was organization. I could work under loads of pressure and juggle several different projects on a daily basis. In fact the busier I was the more I liked it.

I find it ironic that the one of the things that hinders me most in my daily life now as a wife and homeschooling mother is my lack of organization. Some days when I feel especially disorganized and frazzled I have to laugh at how I used to manage in my old job. Everything in my office was perfectly organized, neatly labeled and filed. Everything in my office was very clean and neat. No one ever had to ask me where something was, how to do it or when because I was typically several steps ahead of them. Another life...

Now, don't get me wrong. I would love to still have those skills that I somehow, somewhere lost. I'm sure my husband wishes I had them back too (although he never complains). I'm certainly not condemning being organized-unless of course it's an obsession. But I find that the Lord truly does give us what we need. These days my oldest usually wakes up before I do...she's eight. Aren't I supposed to be up, showered, prayed, read, dressed, baked and all ready to go before anyone else hits the floor?!

Since my ability to run a tight ship did not seem to follow me home when I left that job for this one, I have had to change my expectations in a very large way. I spent a great deal of time beating myself up over the years for not being able to run my home life like I did with my old job. While I did live my faith in my job it is only now as a mother that I have really begun to live my faith. Of course I can contribute this to my marriage, but I largely contribute it to having children.

While I think that having a game plan, being organized and creating a warm and inviting home is very important for children (and my husband), I have since learned that remaining at peace and giving thanks to God in absolutely everything is the best education I can give my girls-despite my shortcomings. As I think back over the last couple of years and remember different learning, cooking, cleaning scenarios I've tried, that didn't really work, I just remember the anxiety I felt about not doing a good job within our home. Surely my family has felt my anxiety too on some level.

Being able to have a prayerful life and a peaceful heart is largely what managing a home is all about for me these days (I've yet to perfect either of these by the way). I've come to realize that the girls don't care how organized I am, although I will always strive to be better organized, what they want is my love, attention, prayers and direction-and this is not always an easy task. My girls don't need to see me stressed out because I can't think of what to cook for dinner, what they need to see is my ability to ask God for direction and gently begin to move in that way with humility and joy-and this is not always easy either. As my priest always says: "One foot in front of the other, just place one foot in front of the other." That is to say, just begin. Stop fretting about it, pray about it and then begin to move slowly. One can waist a great deal of time fretting.

I love being home as a wife and a mother. I love homeschooling the girls. I feel that my husband and my children are the greatest gifts God has given me, in addition to the Orthodox Church, but I do think it's the hardest work I've ever done. I find it the most challenging because while I can work hard on healthy meals, good curriculum and trying to sweep every day, it won't matter unless I'm living my life according to the commandments of our Lord. I can pray every morning with my girls, but if I'm not putting on Christ in all I do, then my girls will not know to do this either. I have seen the worst of me in my girls before and it is a sad sight to behold. It is very humbling and this is what I need.

I love this quote by Elder Porphyrios:

“What saves and makes for good children is the life of the parents in the home. The parents need to devote themselves to the love of God. They need to become saints in their relations to their children through their mildness, patience, and love. They need to make a new start every day, with a fresh outlook, renewed enthusiasm and love for their children. And the joy that will come to them, the holiness that will visit them, will shower grace on their children. Generally the parents are to blame for the bad behavior of the children. And their behaviour is not improved by reprimands, disciplining, or strictness. If the parents do not pursue a life of holiness and if they don’t engage in spiritual struggle, they make great mistakes and transmit the faults they have within them. If the parents do not live a holy life and do not display love towards each other, the devil torments the parents with the reactions of the children. Love, harmony and understanding between parents are what are required for the children. This provides a great sense of security and certainty.”

Elder Porphyrios on Nurturing Children

May the Lord bless us and grant us strength in His holy work!