Wish

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday!  I made her a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. 

 

I added new items to my etsy shop and am offering 20% off if you use the code:  LOVE20 ♥

Olivia started guitar lessons with my friend Maria last month.  Her fingers are getting used to the strings.  Evening lessons while the weather got colder and some tea to warm us up.
We got a fresh batch of snow stuff....maybe it was tiny pieces of hail, because it pelted out windows last night.  And this morning, it was crunchy like ice.  

Happy February!

 Olivia and I made a garland of hearts.  Happy February!  ♥  Not only this month, but all year around, we should show our love for one another.  

"Love one another"

-John 13:34

Sometimes it's hard, relatives who live far away, or friends who don't seem to make an effort to get together or do something that may upset you.  It's not easy for me to forgive and just love...instead I turn to those who are kind to me, and reciprocate their kindness.  Any helpful advice on how to "love your enemies"?  Although I don't have any enemies, there are people who are more difficult to love.

 Hannah...kissing Velvet...our black kitty. 
Velvet is one of those...tough love types, she will accept your affection, purr, purr...and then swipe her paw at you when she's had enough and leave you with a scratch.  I don't understand her.

Yesterday I saw that Shutterfly is giving 10 FREE cards, I had already made some and ordered them, so I immediately took another photo on the same card that I had saved and am going to be getting 10 more soon...to send to those I love the very most.

Use code  XOXOCARDS when checking out!!!

Homemade hot cocoa

I've stopped buying hot cocoa at the store.  Yep.  We've been making homemade hot cocoa this winter and I hope you will, too, (because it's easy and delicious and cheaper and probably better for you):

• 1/3 C cocoa powder
• 1/3 C sugar
• 4 C milk (you can use cow's milk, almond milk...whatever)
• vanilla extract, if you want
• top with whipped cream...extra yummy, but not necessary (I haven't bought marshmallows in a long time, as I think real whipped cream is much better)

So, first you'll mix the cocoa powder, sugar and a half cup of the milk in a pan on the stove over medium heat, just until it comes to a boil...stirring with a spoon.  Stir in remaining milk and vanilla.  Pour into 6 mugs and top with whipped cream...enjoy!  ♥

High of 20'F

Yes, it was a cold day, but the sun came out in the afternoon.  The same today, high of 20'F expected but the sun is shining on the snow and the sky is blue with a few clouds...

First thing, we feed the animals...I went out into the backyard and was surprised to see the chickens on the grape trellis!  Pepper had a good inch of snow on her back and when I helped her down I tried to brush it off, but much of it was actually ice and stuck to her feathers!

I lifted the oldest girl Nutmeg down first and put her in the coop.  She will be 3 years old this spring.  I felt like Cinnamon and Pepper were telling me "I'm scared and don't want to get down."

Then, we went to a nearby park and went sledding with Lusy, who ran free, sniffed in the woods and ran as fast as she could, like a wild animal.

 Olivia trudging up the hill with her sled.  We talked about the possibility of harnessing the sled to Lusy, since she had so much energy, and hoping she'd bring the sled up the hill...

 Lusy takes a rest.

Checked in on the chickens again, all ice and snow melted off their feathers and they ventured out in the snow.  They even had laid eggs in their nest inside the coop...I was thankful. 

We gave the chickens a treat, some cubes of cheese (cut to about 5cm by 5cm) as a thank you!

Blessing of the Water

Yesterday we celebrated Theophany, the manifestation of the Trinity, when Jesus Christ was baptised by John. 

 Hannah and Anna put out candles.

The church is splashed with Holy Water.

 My dad and mom...and Father Daniel.

 People get splashed with Holy Water on Theophany.  Afterwards, people
take Holy Water home and then their houses will be blessed!

Today

I spotted these pretty glitter heart earrings today and am thinking I will try to make some like them!
It snowed a few inches today.  It's cold and beautiful in this part of Ohio.  I went on a nice walk with Lusy the dog, she just loves the snow!

Olivia just finished reading Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses.   It won a Newbery Honor in 1945 and has never been out of print since.  Wanda Petronski, a Polish girl in Connecticut is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day.  One of Olivia's final assignments was to write an imaginary letter that Maddie (one of the girls who wasn't very kind to her, but also felt sorry for her) could have written to Wanda.

Hannah had to write an essay comparing how Ebenezer Scrooge felt when meeting the 3 ghosts and how it changed his life, since she just finished reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  A good wrap up to this week of homeschooling...and as it is the 12th day of Christmas for us Orthodox Christians who follow the old calendar!

Rob is at work right now.  He has a terrible cold.  Runny nose and cough.  Olivia has a bad cough, too...she was up many times last night.  I convinced her to take 10mL of elderberry syrup, along with some apple juice, because other wise it's too tart and sweet (very concentrated).  I hope everyone will be healthy soon.

I got a letter in the mail this week from Joscelyn and was just amazed at her lovely calligraphy.   I found my old box of nibs and got to work with various colours of ink...pretty soon Hannah and Olivia joined me and we sampled writing out words and alphabets in various different ways:

This weekend, we celebrate Christ's baptism!  Water will be 

blessed at church, and then sprinkled around our home.

When Thou was baptized in the Jordan, O Lord, the worship of the Trinity wast made manifest; for the voice of the Father bear witness to Thee, calling Thee His beloved Son. And the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of His word. O Christ our God, Who hath appeared and enlightened the world, glory be to Thee.

Yesterday...

After church yesterday, we had a Christmas party for the children...
First, Hannah sang "What Child is This?" as she played guitar with Maria, who is 25 years old and teaching Hannah:

Olivia with Liza, my sister's little girl, who is 1.  She got this new pink dress, for a Christmas gift...with a snowman on the front and a hat with a white puffy ball on it.

Then, a few children recited poetry...and then they moved plywood out for the girls to do Irish dancing: 

Russian dancing!

The audience.

I'm holding my Godson, Timothy...isn't his little comfy tuxedo so cute???

He did not want to sit on Grandfather Frost's lap!

His mother was at the hospital, yesterday in the afternoon...they have been taking turns.  Today marks 4 weeks of Timothy's big sister, Sofia's hospitalization after a stroke.
They were told on Friday at a meeting with the doctor that 75% of her brain is unrepairable and damaged.  Lord have mercy.  ♥  Please keep all of their family in your prayers, Sergiy and little Timothy, who you see here...and Maryna, the mother, and especially 4 year old Sofia.

Here is little Sofia and her mother, Maryna.  You can read more about them here:  http://savesofiakharchyk.org.ua/en/

Today, Maryna's mother, Nataliya, arrived from Ukraine to help out...I look forward to meeting her very soon!