UPDATE: Prayers Requested...

Please pray for the safe and speedy return of a friend's teenage daughter (Susan).

UPDATE: Susan returned home safely! Thank you for your prayers!

Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Children

Great and Holy Friday...

Curly Girl...

Since I have always wanted to have long, curly hair and have been fascinated (but still nervous) by the no 'poo movement, when I recently stumbled on to the Curly Girl pages on YLCF, I was intrigued.

I am now on day four ( of 21) of my Curly Girl experiment and it is going well... my hair hasn't been that greasy (despite copious amounts of conditioner) and is nicely wavy. I am dying to run a comb though it but am restrain myself and am trying to figure out how to get rid of bed-head (since I don't wash it everyday).

Have you ever tried this hair regime? Did you like it? Any tips?

Expelled: No Intellegence Allowed...

Beans, Beans, Beans...

Great-Grandmother's 3 Bean Casserole

1 can of lima beans
1 can of baked beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 large onion
1 pepper (any color)
1 clove of garlic
1/2 c. of brown sugar
1 ts. dry mustard (or 1 T. of wet mustard)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 vinegar

Saute onion and chopped pepper. Place all ingredients into an oven proof crock or casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes so the sauce can thicken.

Note: After sauteeing the onion and pepper, I combined the ingredients into the crock pot and cooked the beans on high for 1 hour. They came out perfectly and were done in less time than using the oven!

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

1T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
4 c. vegetable stock
1 (15 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8.75oz) can corn
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, and carrots, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add chili powder and cumin. Cook for one minute stirring. Add stock, beans, corn, and pepper and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes to the pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

A Montessori Kitchen...

With spring cleaning getting underway this week (I'd like to have it all done by Pascha - Our Easter), I decided to rearrange things in the kitchen cabinets and drawers. Our daughter has become quite the little helper these past months and so I decided to follow another of Barbara's suggestions for setting up the kitchen so that the kidlets can help a little. Fr. John is a bit skeptical (He's afraid that our dishes will all be smashed within a week), so I think that I will hold off on allowing her to help set the table for a few months.

What to do, What to do...

Two weeks ago, I happily embarked upon my willow garden border, but the project was stalled by a week of rain last week and spring cleaning this week. Here are two pictures of my progress:

On Monday morning, we awoke to a landscaping crew descending upon our neighbors lawn. When they finished yesterday, their yard looked like this:

Now I have a problem. We are already known for our ghetto-fabulous lawn because we don't water or use weed killer on it in the summer and because our landlords do not want to put any more money into the yard. I sadly said to Fr. John that my willow fence looked pathetic in comparison to the pro-landscaping job our neighbors now have and he just roared with laughter!

Do I continue to build my willow fence or do I buy a little store bought fencing from the garden center so that our yard conforms a little more to the development's standards?

Mirelle on YouTube...

I banished my bad mood today by watching a few of these little videos by the author of the French Women Don't Get Fat books, Mirelle Guiliano:

Reinventing the Scarf as a Skirt
Adding Romance to Your Table
A French Woman's Greatest Accessory
Scarves: Secrets and Tricks
Yogurt: Your Secret Weapon
Make Your Own Signature Scarf

Dressing Inspiration...

I was so happy to find that D'Rae is blogging again! I really enjoy her daily posts of the outfits that she wears, especially because she wears skirts daily.

On Making Barbie a Better Girl...

Last night, I discovered that one of my favorite priest wives has a blog... I think you will really enjoy this essay she wrote on Barbie.

A Sling for You and a Sling for Me...

While replenishing our stock of teething tablets for our Little Miss at our local health food store last week, I noticed that they were now stocking some baby slings. Since we had just loaned our Baby Bjorn (which I don't like, btw) to one of our parishioners to try out, I decided to pick this one up to use with both of our children. So far I really like it and it has come in handy for grocery shopping and homemaking with our son and singing in the choir with our daughter (she likes to "sing" with me and there is usually someone that is very willing to hold Mr. Chubbs during the service!).

Our little girl is fascinated with the concept of wearing one's baby and we have developed a way (which is probably not new!) of fashioning a sling for her to use with her doll. Here's how we do it:

The Island...

Since the start of Great Lent, every Monday night (except the first one due to the Canon of Saint Andrew) has been Orthodox Movie Night at our church. Fr. John sets up a projector and projects a dvd onto one of the walls. the chairs are set up in a semi-circle and the church is instantly transformed into a movie theater. All we are ever missing is popcorn and soda!

We have seen a documentary on Ss. Peter and Paul, The Passion of the Christ (I skipped this because I didn't want our daughter to see any of it), The Return of the Icon, and most recently, Ostrov (The Island).

If you are Orthodox and have not seen The Island, then it is imperative that you get a copy! It is in Russian, but you can find dvds with English subtitles.

Here is a brief description of the movie from Wikipedia:

Ostrov (Russian: Остров, The Island) is a 2006 Russian biographical film about a fictional 20th century Eastern Orthodox monk. The film closed the 2006 Venice Film Festival.

The film is focused on father Anatoly's repentance of his sin (therefore the virtually continuous occurrence of the Jesus Prayer); but the transgressions of the depicted character (a fool for Christ) and their impact on the others are the means by which the actual plot develops. Thus, talking on character's self-awarness, film's director Pavel Lungin said he doesn't regard him as being clever or spiritual, but blessed "in the sense that he is an exposed nerve, which connects to the pains of this world. His absolute power is a reaction to the pain of those people who come to it;" while "typically, when the miracle happens, the lay people asking for a miracle are always dissatisfied" because "the world does not tolerate domestic miracles." Dmitry Sobolev, the scenarist, further explains: "When people ask for something from God, he is often wrong because God has a better understanding of what a person wants at that moment."^[1] Pyotr Mamonov, who plays the lead character, formerly one of the few rock musicians in USSR, converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in the 1990s and lives now in an isolated village. Pavel Lungin said about him that "to a large extent, he played himself." Mamonov received a blessing from his confessor for playing the character.^[1]

The simplicity, the humbleness, the remoteness, the miracles converge into creating a timeless snapshot of the Orthodox spirituality, apart from the historical circumstances. Patriarch Alexei II of Russia praised Ostrov for its profound depiction of faith and monastic life, calling it a "vivid example of an effort to take a Christian approach to culture."^[2]

The filming location was the city of Kem, in Karelia, on the shores of the White Sea.^[1]

Deliciously Tasty...

Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen...

Using a chocolate mold never created such a nice addition to your Paschal baskets! One of our parishioners made a basket full of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and mint chocolate crosses for us to sell at the church... everyone is so excited!

Sense and Sensibility, Episode Two...

Sunday, April 6th - 9pm EST

Though poor, levelheaded Elinor Dashwood (Hattie Morahan) and her impulsive sister Marianne (Charity Wakefield) attract a trio of promising gentlemen.

To view on YouTube, visit HERE.
To view the Emma Thompson version, visit HERE.

Willow Branch Edging for Your Garden...

Watching this garden scene from the movie, Open Range, makes me long for flower seeds and pretty hat! Since we don't live in a quaint little cottage (someday, I hope!!), I will settle happily for this crafty way of bring a little "Sue-Style" to our yard! Now, off to find directions for that beautiful twig arbor they were kissing under!!

Halfway Through Great Lent...

Can you believe it?!
Come quickly, April 27th!

Orthodox Mother's Digest...

If you are an Orthodox mom, you might want to check out Monica's new blog, Orthodox Mother's Digest. See you there!

Tagged...

Tagged by Lydia!

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was eighteen ten years ago and was getting ready to graduate high school. I went to an all girls Catholic high school and loved it so much I opted to get my B.A. in Art and Early Childhood Education at The College of Saint Elizabeth (also all girls). I was also madly in love with Father John at that point, but he was clueless and didn't notice me until three years later!

Five things on my To Do List today:
1. Clean all the bathrooms (2.5)

2. Library and Storyhour

3. Climb Mount Laundry

4. De-clutter Desk

5. Print a calendar for April and clean off old papers from the front of the fridge

Snacks I enjoy (all junk!):
Chocolate

Pepsi with crushed Ice

Soft Pretzels

French Fries

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

First, I would buy a house for our family. Then I would buy homes for our parents (our fathers are both priests, so they've lived in rectories their whole lives). Next, I would pay off bills and set up a nest egg for college, vacations, etc. I would give Fr. John a few million to build his dream church and hire caretakers (landscapers, a choir director, secretary, etc.) to help with it. Finally, I would leave the rest in an account that we could withdraw money from to help people we knew in need.

Five places I have visited:
New York
Washington D.C.
Dallas, Texas
San Fransico, CA
Florida

Five jobs I have had:
Babysitter
Waitress
Teacher
Wife
Mother

Consider Yourself tagged if you read this and haven't filled it out yet!