Christ is Risen!

During the midnight service, the girls stayed in the little where confessions are heard...we all took a nap for a few hours before going to church, so were awake during the whole service! Here are a few of the languages I think are most beautiful...

• English - Christ is risen! Truly, He is Risen!
• Greek - Χριστός Ανέστη! Αληθώς Ανέστη! (Christos Anesti! Aleithos Anesti!)
• Russian - Христос Воскресе! Воистину Воскресе! (Khristos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!)
• Georgian - ქრისტე აღსდგა! ჭეშმარიტად აღსდგა! (Kriste aghsdga! Cheshmaritad aghsdga!)
• Japanese - ハリストス復活！実に復活！ (Harisutosu fukkatsu! Jitsu ni fukkatsu!)

The photo above I took this morning at the Bright Monday service, when we had a procession around the church! I love this one with the children holding the icons of their patron saints. May you have a radiant Paschal season! ♥

Holy Week

Today, we heard the Gospel about how the people placed a crown of thorns on the head of Jesus and crucified Him. I'm trying to answer the girls questions of WHY did they do this to Him? And in reply I asked them if someone said that they were God, today, would you believe that person?
Yesterday, we decorate the kulich we baked. I squeezed lemon juice from some lemons and added confectioner sugar. Then atop, placed almonds and raisins. In the background of that picture you can see Olivia taking out an egg that we hard boiled in a pot with yellow onion skins. Aren't they pretty?
This is Mariah, the cat my sister and I brought home when we were high schoolers about 18 years ago. She was a kitten then. She's getting old, but she is doing okay...she loves to bask in the sun. Neither my sister nor I live there anymore, but my parents take good care of her.

I am thankful for so many wonderful things in our lives, for Christ our God, for my family and friends, plants that nourish us and give us shade as well as animals who help us to learn how to love. God is generous. ♥

We've been outside...

Playing and sowing seeds (lettuce, swiss chard, lima beans...and a long list of others yet to be planted) in our backyard garden.We are also getting ready for Pascha, the day we celebrate our Lord's Resurrection! Lots of church services, more than usual, we will try to go to as many as we can. Reading the Bible and being in church, partaking of the sacraments, looking at the icons of the saints, who are example to us all, help us on the path to salvation. I find that this time is hard, I tend to judge others, when I am not doing all that I can...am I really on the path to salvation or meandering off to distractions? I need to look at myself and try to improve...to become a kinder and more helpful person.I've baked some kulich (click here for the recipe), a wonderful sweet bread. I will bake more and make cheese to go with it. Want my recipe?

Cheese-pascha (here's my homemade cheese instructions)

3 lbs farmer's cheese (instead I used my homemade cheeses)

1/2 lb salted butter (softened)
1/2 c. raisins (I didn't put any in my cheese-pascha, just decorated it with them after)

1/4 lb finely chopped almonds (didn't use them this year)

1 3/4 cups sugar
3 egg yolks (I made coconut macaroons with the left over egg whites)

1 whole egg

1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (scraped the seeds from the center of a vanilla bean instead)

Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Combine with cheese (adding nuts and raisins, if desired) and cream. Cook in large pot over medium head until mixture bubbles, stirring occasionally (about 1/2 hour). When cool, add vanilla, place mixture in mould lined with cheese cloth. Refrigerate and allow to drain, unmould and decorate! Spread on top of kulich and enjoy!!!We also have wonderful eggs, thanks to our 2 hens, Clementine and Nutmeg! Clementine is the white and tan one, she's an Ameraucana, and just started laying eggs a month ago, a beautiful pastel blue-green colour... and Nutmeg, the Rhode Island Red, gives us the brown eggs.