~Sonlight~

Does anyone here use Sonlight? I would love to hear from you. I am also interested to hear from anyone with that uses Tapestry of Grace and Veritas.

                 ~Moving Day Blues~

I am at our house supervising the move and for the first time since the movers arrived, three days ago, I started to cry. When I walked into our family room and saw two guys surrounded by packed boxes and my bare mantel, where my treasured  icon of Christ and His Mother , a wedding gift  from the Ecumenical Patriarch, once hung, I just lost it.  In an instant I remembered every visitor we have ever had, every birthday party, baby’s first step, Christmas morning, New Year’s Day and Orthodox Book Club that we hosted in our family room, 7 years worth of memories just flashed before my eyes. It is only a house, but this is the house that I brought two newborn babies home . This is the house that, three weeks after we moved in, we had Nicholas and Basil’s 1st and 3rd birthday party, and invited every kid from Church to attend, about 40 children under the age of  5. There was barely any furniture in the house and we played old fashion party games in our empty dining room.  This is the house we bought when I was 6 months pregnant with Jonah and this is the house that Maria~Angelica will never remember….. I hope and pray this move doesn’t affect the children too much and that we make lots of wonderful new memories in the years to come, childhood is all too short.

.  

Quote for the Week:
I beg you, for the love of God, do not stop saying the prayer of our Christ (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner)  not even for a moment. Your lips should continuously murmur the name of Jesus Who destroys the devil and all his plots. Cry out incessantly to our Christ, and at once He will hasten wholeheartedly to help us. 

Just as iron cannot be grabbed or even approached when it is red-hot, the same thing happens with the soul of him who says the prayer with the fervor of Christ. The demons do not approach it—and how could they? For if they draw near it, they will be burned by the Divine fire which the Divine name contains.

Whoever prays is enlightened, and whoever does not pray is darkened. Prayer is the provider of divine light. This is why everyone who prays well becomes all radiant, and the Spirit of God dwells in him. If despondency, indifference, listlessness, etc., approach us, let us pray with fear, pain, and great noetic vigilance, and we will immediately experience the miracle of consolation and joy by the grace of God. It is not possible for a person who prays to hold a grudge against someone or refuse to forgive him for any fault whatsoever. Everything is reduced to ashes when it comes near the fear of the Jesus prayer.

So, my children, struggle in the salvific and sanctifying prayer of our Christ, so that you may become radiant and holy.  Elder Ephraim of the Holy Mountain (Athos)

Hymn from Lenten Vespers:  “By enlightening our souls through fasting.  O Lord may we be enabled to behold Thy cross in joy – in fear to bow before it.  The cross illumines They voluntary sufferings.  Grant us to behold them, O Lover of all. 

Scripture Verse for the Week:  ”I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”   Romans 12: 1-2

The First Horseman: Criticism

Am I applying liberally in my marriage the antidotes to contempt?  Do I remember to compliment my spouse?  Do I remember to express to my spouse those things that I admire about him?  Do I take time to think back to what attracted me to my spouse in the first place?

Yemista me Ryzi: Aliki’s Stuffed Vegetables with Rice  from Nancy Gaifyllia 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 pound of zucchini, grated
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1/2 eggplant, peeled and grated
• 1/2 + 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 4 firm tomatoes
• 4 medium zucchini
• 4 small eggplants
• 4 peppers (green bell, or banana)
• 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
• toasted breadcrumbs

PREPARATION:

Wash the vegetables carefully and dry. With a paring knife, cut the caps off the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, and both ends off the zucchini and set aside. With a spoon, scoop out the pulp and seeds from the eggplant, zucchini, and peppers, and discard.

In a pot, heat 1/2 cup of olive oil and sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes. Add grated zucchini, eggplant, and carrots, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomato pulp and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 15 minutes, and put in a bowl. Add the rice, salt, and pepper, and mix well with a spoon until blended.

With a spoon, fill vegetables loosely with the rice mixture, place in a roasting pan packed closely but not squashed, with caps covering the tops and ends. Place tomatoes (and small bell peppers if used) upright, lie the others on their sides. Pour 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup water over the top, sprinkle the tops of the upright vegetables with toasted breadcrumbs, and bake at 450F (230C) for 1 hour. Halfway through, turn the vegetables that are placed on their sides.  Note: If the vegetables start to get too brown before cooking time is up, cover with foil.  Yield: serves 4

~It’s a Small World After All~

I am always amazed at the countries represented on my site meter log.

 Romania, Greece, Australia,  Vietnam, Cyprus, Russia, Senegal, Canada and the international list goes on.  I would love for the person from Mytilni to introduce themselves. My paternal grandparents came from the island of Chios, just next door.

1		United States	New York
2		United States
3		United States	Peoria, Arizona
4		United States	Grand Forks, North Dakota
5		United States	Cincinnati, Ohio
6		United States	Dayton, Ohio
7		United States	Rahway, New Jersey
8		Romania	Valenii De Munte, Prahova
9		United States	Waco, Texas
10		United States	Durham, North Carolina
11		United States	Topeka, Kansas
12		United States	Fort Worth, Texas
13		United States
14		Australia	Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
15		Vietnam	Hanoi, Dac Lac
16		United States	Gresham, Oregon
17		Greece	Mytilni, Lesvos
18		United States	Portland, Oregon
19		United States	Victorville, California

~Pray for Russia~

I have a google alert for “Orthodox Church” and imagine my surprise when this came up. Voronezh is the hometown of my sister in law, Lena and a dear friend and parishioner of ours, Valentina. This is Valentina’s home parish. Lord have mercy and may Fr.’s memory be eternal!

~The Webkinz Craze~

Have you and  your kids caught the Webkinz craze?  The boys and all their friends and even my girlfriends (who log on, once the kiddos are tucked in bed, to win KinzCash for their little darlings) are so loving Webkinz World.  I must say this toy is a great value for the money. The little plush toys are only about $10 and come with a secret code that offers children a world of fun and make believe. They can play on line with their friends, care for their pet, dole out the cash to care for the pet, furnish their pet’s homes, use coupons to get deals, win money by playing educational games and answering questions. Yes, I even find myself playing  “Quizzy’s Word Challenge” and answering ”Fun Facts” questions to earn KinzCash. Webkinz World is a whole world onto itself.  Webkinz is a great invention; it is an economics lesson and much, much more, I wish I had thought of it, whoever did, hit a home run with this one, no pieces to pick up or anything! The only downside is sharing my computer with three little boys anxious to care for their pets.  My friends and I joke about how wonderful it would be to be able to buy each of our children a lap top computer (we have 15 kids between us)  and then we could all head for Panera where the kids could take advantage of the WiFi and my girlfriends and I could  have a peaceful lunch and  enjoyable conversation!