A day late and a dollar short. Oh well. And it's raining steadily so I had to get all my pictures inside.
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| Old breaker box |
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| East window |
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| Near the back door |
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| Bricks around the fireplace |
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| Pantry door (repurposed shutters) |
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| Screened door |
Friday, February 10, 2012
29 Day Alphabet Photo Challenge: H
A day late and a dollar short. Oh well. And it's raining steadily so I had to get all my pictures inside.
General Updates on Life
Noah is still in the hospital after his successful surgery to place a new central line. He would have gone home last night but someone dropped the ball and appropriate transportation could not be arranged in time. He is scheduled to go home today. Please continue to pray for him and his family. [Note: updates are most often posted on FB] Just got word (at 5:45 PM his local time) that he's in the ambulance on the way home - 2 hour trip.
Baby Leo is recovering nicely from his surgery! Go over to his blog to read the updates and see some adorable pictures of Leo and Mama.
Sorry about the blog being down most of yesterday. Lost Innocents is still down but should be back up later today. Hopefully everything has been ironed out.
I'm not going to do a whole daybook entry (lack the time and patience at the moment) but I'll do the Reader's Digest Condensed version:
Cold front going through - rainy and wet today with lows dropping down to 36 (I'm underwhelmed). Tomorrow and the next day, however, the lows are supposed to be 20 - 27 degrees. Pretty cold for around here. Never fear, the highs will be back in the 70's next week. *eye roll*
Ribby got 2nd place in behavioral sciences for her science fair project. Don't be too impressed, the school is really small. However, she is going to the regional fair in a few weeks. Considering I spent so many years running from one science fair to the next you'd think I'd be more excited. But honestly, her project is not that great. It will be good experience for her though.
Most everyone has been sick - upper respiratory stuff - and although it's been dragged out for a couple weeks now I still haven't caught it. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. At least it's more annoying than debilitating.
REALLY need to get to the storage room. I'm very tempted to simply load everyone up and get over there. There are some things that need to be dropped off and some things that need to be picked up. Heck, I can't even remember some of the things that are in there because they've been there for coming on two years! I want to really go through things and see if a lot of it can't just be gotten rid of.
Father ordered a book, Quiet, that is turning out to be fantastic. It's about introverts in an extrovert world. I can't wait to review it on here. I seem to remember there were a lot of INFJs and INTJs lurking about. One funny thing: Last night when I was dipping into it I came across a section that was talking about high-reactive babies and low-reactive babies (you know, pop a balloon and the high-reactive ones scream for ten minutes, the low-reactive ones look around and say, "What...?") and they were detailing some of the tests they had done. When they tested babies at 4 months, then 2 years, 7 years and 11 years they provided different "novel" stimuli. As I read though it I started tensing up until I was one big knot by the end of the section and was breathing very shallowly. I cracked up when I realized I had just tested myself. Well, I think most of us have always known I'm introverted. But, still, that was pretty funny.
Lent is approaching! This Sunday is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. And the end of the fast-free week! I heard mention of some people doing a Jesse tree for Lent...with all the Nativity ornaments. Anyone else heard of this?
The letter "H" coming a bit later today.
Baby Leo is recovering nicely from his surgery! Go over to his blog to read the updates and see some adorable pictures of Leo and Mama.
Sorry about the blog being down most of yesterday. Lost Innocents is still down but should be back up later today. Hopefully everything has been ironed out.
I'm not going to do a whole daybook entry (lack the time and patience at the moment) but I'll do the Reader's Digest Condensed version:
Cold front going through - rainy and wet today with lows dropping down to 36 (I'm underwhelmed). Tomorrow and the next day, however, the lows are supposed to be 20 - 27 degrees. Pretty cold for around here. Never fear, the highs will be back in the 70's next week. *eye roll*
Ribby got 2nd place in behavioral sciences for her science fair project. Don't be too impressed, the school is really small. However, she is going to the regional fair in a few weeks. Considering I spent so many years running from one science fair to the next you'd think I'd be more excited. But honestly, her project is not that great. It will be good experience for her though.
Most everyone has been sick - upper respiratory stuff - and although it's been dragged out for a couple weeks now I still haven't caught it. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. At least it's more annoying than debilitating.
REALLY need to get to the storage room. I'm very tempted to simply load everyone up and get over there. There are some things that need to be dropped off and some things that need to be picked up. Heck, I can't even remember some of the things that are in there because they've been there for coming on two years! I want to really go through things and see if a lot of it can't just be gotten rid of.
Father ordered a book, Quiet, that is turning out to be fantastic. It's about introverts in an extrovert world. I can't wait to review it on here. I seem to remember there were a lot of INFJs and INTJs lurking about. One funny thing: Last night when I was dipping into it I came across a section that was talking about high-reactive babies and low-reactive babies (you know, pop a balloon and the high-reactive ones scream for ten minutes, the low-reactive ones look around and say, "What...?") and they were detailing some of the tests they had done. When they tested babies at 4 months, then 2 years, 7 years and 11 years they provided different "novel" stimuli. As I read though it I started tensing up until I was one big knot by the end of the section and was breathing very shallowly. I cracked up when I realized I had just tested myself. Well, I think most of us have always known I'm introverted. But, still, that was pretty funny.
Lent is approaching! This Sunday is the Sunday of the Prodigal Son. And the end of the fast-free week! I heard mention of some people doing a Jesse tree for Lent...with all the Nativity ornaments. Anyone else heard of this?
The letter "H" coming a bit later today.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Not quite what I was in the market for...
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| Yes, I took this photo myself. |
And, oh my, we're on a roll. My two oldest cooked this advert up this afternoon:
Would you like a pet alligator? Are your kids crazy for one? Is your car ready to smell like a reptile? If so, we can help you! Crocodiles, alligators, turtles and more! Just call 555-PET-REPTILE. Find us on Facebook!
(They signed it Nymphadora Tonks and put the address as #12 Grimmald Place in London.)
[Sorry about being off-line most of the day. It's been a doozy. Ignorance is bliss so I'm not saying anything more than that. The letter "H" will be delayed until tomorrow. Thanks for understanding.]
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Prayer Emergency: Noah
Sent to me from their FB account:
Jeff (Kate's husband) here. Noah's central line (broviac) came out a
little over an hour ago. This is a true emergency. It has taken a
while to sort out, but Noah will be admitted to the children's
hospital in Columbia SC where they can put in a new dual lumen line.
911 has now been called. They will start an IV, take him to the local
hospital, and that hospital will send him to Columbia. He has no
access to fluids, medicine, calories/sugar, pain meds, etc. right now.
He will probably have surgery tonight.
We have never been to this hospital and since Kate will be in the
ambulance I will not be with them. Please pray for the paramedics, for
Noah, for Kate, and for the doctors/surgeon.
Kate will update.
Jeff (Kate's husband) here. Noah's central line (broviac) came out a
little over an hour ago. This is a true emergency. It has taken a
while to sort out, but Noah will be admitted to the children's
hospital in Columbia SC where they can put in a new dual lumen line.
911 has now been called. They will start an IV, take him to the local
hospital, and that hospital will send him to Columbia. He has no
access to fluids, medicine, calories/sugar, pain meds, etc. right now.
He will probably have surgery tonight.
We have never been to this hospital and since Kate will be in the
ambulance I will not be with them. Please pray for the paramedics, for
Noah, for Kate, and for the doctors/surgeon.
Kate will update.
Noah's Hands of Hope
Remember I mentioned Noah's Hands of Hope a little while back. If you've been following this blog for any length of time you know we've been praying for the child Noah who is five. He has mitochondrial disease and is nearing the end of his short life. This organization has been founded at Noah's insistence to help other children with mito or similarly rare diseases and their families. It focuses on the child and the family, not on disease research. Please share the information about this organization.
Noah has been so exhausted that he has been awake only small parts of the day. His organization will be featured in the paper Sunday (I'll provide the link when I get it) and he was unable to talk to the reporter but his family was able to put together a short video of him talking about Hands of Hope. Here it is:
Noah has been so exhausted that he has been awake only small parts of the day. His organization will be featured in the paper Sunday (I'll provide the link when I get it) and he was unable to talk to the reporter but his family was able to put together a short video of him talking about Hands of Hope. Here it is:
Noah is extremely swollen right now - his systems are mostly shutting down - so here is a picture of him taken late last October:
Please pray for him and his family, and for the success of this organization. I've linked it at the top of the post so you can visit to learn more.
29 Day Alphabet Photo Challenge: G
I skipped yesterday so I've used one of my three freebie days. Now you are all caught up with me though!
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| From some calligraphy Father did ages ago. |
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| On the cover of a Girl Scout handbook of my grandmother's. |
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| On the back of an antique spoon once used in our beach house. |
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| Carving on the back of an antique chair. |
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| The number "6" turned upside down on a vintage clock. |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Icons in the Domestic Church
[Addition at bottom of post]
Before Father and I were engaged I went to visit him where he was teaching at a Catholic boarding school. He was living in an old house of the sort typically described as having "lots of potential!!!" in real estate circles, if you know what I mean. [Note: we lived there for two years after we married and it still had a lot of potential when we left.] In the living room he had put up icons of Christ and the Theotokos and a crucifix in between. He asked my opinion. I said it looked nice but he better stop there because "you don't want it to look like a church."
This cracks me up now as I look up and see the dozens of icons around the house. Obviously I changed my tune. By the time we became Orthodox we had an icon corner that was considerably larger:
As we moved and accumulated icons (and changed in taste) our icon corner changed too.
This is the simplest our icon corner has been in a long time. Partially because every bedroom has its own icon corner now.
Father has his own. He's so tall that his chest of drawers is a much more convenient height.
I share Father's and the family one. This is by my bed (notice that there are three icons of St. Anna).
The children have icon corners in their bedrooms. When we used to have a nursery I loved to put up the icon of the guardian angel and Adam naming the animals (the elephant was so nice). Of course, the boys have the prophet Jonah (being swallowed by the fish).
The girls' icon corner is a bit more feminine:
There are icons all over the house. The Last Supper is in the dining room, the Panagia Portaitissa (keeper of the gate) is by the front door, and other icons are here and there including in our room and the children's rooms. I like these in the kitchen:
Before I was Orthodox I thought that the home should not look like a church. And, of course, in many ways it can't and shouldn't. But in the matter of icons we should feel surrounded by the cloud of witnesses in our homes. Our homes are our domestic churches. Our children should see that there is a seamless join between the home and the church. This is not to say that there should be "house churches" as an alternative to attending a parish and engaging in community worship. The worship in the home should complement and enhance the worship at church. Neither can exist without the other. The icons in our home serve the same purpose as the icons in our churches.
We should be reminded at all times of our purpose in living - the attainment of salvation. I know that when I want to lie around and do nothing, to see the Theotokos looking down on me is a motivator to pull myself together. They are constant reminders to strive to live a Christian life, follow the examples of the saints and pray. This is similar to my prayer rope: if I wear it I'm much more likely to pray throughout the day than if I don't.
[One more mention about the domestic church that doesn't have anything to do with icons. I've found that cleaning the house is a much more joyful and contenting task if I remember that I'm cleaning my domestic church. You would always want your parish church to be clean and tidy and would not complain about contributing to the upkeep. The same applies to your home, your domestic church.]
Because you wanted to see an "official" icon corner, I'm sharing a picture of the icon corner belonging to an elderly baba friend of ours:
Before Father and I were engaged I went to visit him where he was teaching at a Catholic boarding school. He was living in an old house of the sort typically described as having "lots of potential!!!" in real estate circles, if you know what I mean. [Note: we lived there for two years after we married and it still had a lot of potential when we left.] In the living room he had put up icons of Christ and the Theotokos and a crucifix in between. He asked my opinion. I said it looked nice but he better stop there because "you don't want it to look like a church."
This cracks me up now as I look up and see the dozens of icons around the house. Obviously I changed my tune. By the time we became Orthodox we had an icon corner that was considerably larger:
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| 1998 |
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| 1999 |
As we moved and accumulated icons (and changed in taste) our icon corner changed too.
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| approx. 2007-2010 |
This is the simplest our icon corner has been in a long time. Partially because every bedroom has its own icon corner now.
 |
| Current family icon corner |
Father has his own. He's so tall that his chest of drawers is a much more convenient height.
 |
| Notice I'm having to look up at it... |
I share Father's and the family one. This is by my bed (notice that there are three icons of St. Anna).
 | ||||||
| This evolved as people gave me icons. |
The children have icon corners in their bedrooms. When we used to have a nursery I loved to put up the icon of the guardian angel and Adam naming the animals (the elephant was so nice). Of course, the boys have the prophet Jonah (being swallowed by the fish).
 |
| The boys' icon corner |
The girls' icon corner is a bit more feminine:
 |
| The girls' icon corner |
There are icons all over the house. The Last Supper is in the dining room, the Panagia Portaitissa (keeper of the gate) is by the front door, and other icons are here and there including in our room and the children's rooms. I like these in the kitchen:
 |
| In the kitchen (the Hospitality of Abraham is appropriate) |
Before I was Orthodox I thought that the home should not look like a church. And, of course, in many ways it can't and shouldn't. But in the matter of icons we should feel surrounded by the cloud of witnesses in our homes. Our homes are our domestic churches. Our children should see that there is a seamless join between the home and the church. This is not to say that there should be "house churches" as an alternative to attending a parish and engaging in community worship. The worship in the home should complement and enhance the worship at church. Neither can exist without the other. The icons in our home serve the same purpose as the icons in our churches.
We should be reminded at all times of our purpose in living - the attainment of salvation. I know that when I want to lie around and do nothing, to see the Theotokos looking down on me is a motivator to pull myself together. They are constant reminders to strive to live a Christian life, follow the examples of the saints and pray. This is similar to my prayer rope: if I wear it I'm much more likely to pray throughout the day than if I don't.
[One more mention about the domestic church that doesn't have anything to do with icons. I've found that cleaning the house is a much more joyful and contenting task if I remember that I'm cleaning my domestic church. You would always want your parish church to be clean and tidy and would not complain about contributing to the upkeep. The same applies to your home, your domestic church.]
Because you wanted to see an "official" icon corner, I'm sharing a picture of the icon corner belonging to an elderly baba friend of ours:
Monday, February 6, 2012
29 Day Alphabet Photo Challenge: F
It took me all day to get this picture! It's very appropriate though:
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| Slice of Flopsy's Birthday Cake |
This cake was Devil's Food made from scratch. Remember I wasn't going to use mix any more? She wanted chocolate cake with whipped cream instead of frosting. Um, ok...
I had to decorate it somehow and it's hard to pipe icing onto whipped cream. I tinted coconut green and added some Cadbury mini eggs (mmmmmm......).
Pray for Baby Leo
Please pray today for Baby Leo who is undergoing another skull surgery.
UPDATE: As of Monday night Leo was out of surgery, on room air (!) and doing beautifully. Thank you for all your prayers.
UPDATE: As of Monday night Leo was out of surgery, on room air (!) and doing beautifully. Thank you for all your prayers.
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