Who's Hungry?

Did you ever have one of those days where you started out cooking one thing and it just snowballed in to many? Well, for me today is one of those days.
It all started this morning when I looked at the box of tomatoes my Aunt and Uncle so generously gave me and I thought I'd get out the Sqeezo and make some sauce even though I already had chicken thawing in the fridge for tonight and 2 lbs of ground beef thawing as well to make stuffed peppers from my garden peppers to freeze. So anywho, I need to go to the store to get some paste cause the tomatoes we not Romas and I need to thicken them up and while I was there they had a little natural roast on clearance and 2 packs of the natural chicken tenders marked down as well so I had to get them. Well, to make a long story short I have now made-
2 pans of stuffed yellow peppers
1 gallon of fresh sauce with meatballs
3 ham and cheese stuffed, fried and baked chicken breasts
1 small roast with carrots
and grilled chicken tenders with fried portabella mushrooms and onions
whew, I better go throw in a chocolate cake!

Peace....

Up early, so down for an early nap. Doesn't he still look so little and peaceful? You wouldn't think he was up already for several hours tearing the place up before the other children were even awake.

Time Is Just Flyin By

Wow, I cant believe it has been few weeks since I posted. I have been busy on the Diaperswapper B/S/T list and have traded for some good stuff, and some not so good stuff that will go back up for some baby that's smaller than my big guy it will fit. I have been trading for wool for the fall and winter which, by the way, I am so looking forward too. We finally are having a taste of better weather with a few days here in the 70's rather than 90's. I will post some picts of the things I got soon I hope.
I have also been trying really hard to make it a habit of reading the Bible every morning and evening. I got lucky and found a Orthodox Study Bible at St. Vincent DePauls and it has morning and evening prayers along with the daily readings. I love the prayer it has to start the day and I will try and post that soon as well.
I cant do it now cause I am typing this with my two little boys sleeping on either side of me. I'm still so grateful to my in laws for giving us this little notebook pc. I don't know what I would do without it.
And I finally got to take my oldest daughter to Sandcastle Water Park yesterday and we had such a good time. It was so awesome to just spend some mommy and me time with her. Thanks to my great mama for watching my baby for me for a few hours so I could take her. We really appreciate it!

Steelers Training Camp 2010

We always take a picture now before we go out anywhere like this so that if they get lost we can show exactly what they were wearing.



Mas as my favorite player, Troy.



A little picnic lunch with friends.



Mas and Steeley

August: The Month of the Theotokos

I'm going to be writing about Mary or the Theotokos this month so more will be coming.

This is from a great book titled- Making God Real in the Orthodox Christian Home by Anthony M. Coniaris

To the Orthodox Christian August is a sacred month- a month that brings with it a feeling of intensified reverence. It is the month of the Blessed Theotokos. For on the fifteenth of August the Orthodox Church celebrates the most solemn of feasts related to the Mother of God, namely, her repose or falling asleep.

Special prayer services are held regularly during the first fifteen days of the month. It is a period of special fasting similar to Lent. Orthodox families are invited to attend these services and to participate in the fast.

In order to help parents explain the meaning of this sacred period to their children, we propose to deal with the following two question:

1. What we mean by the falling asleep of the Theotokos (Mary);

2. Why, as Orthodox Christians, do we regard her above all the saints of God as "more honorable than the Seraphim and more glorious then the Cheruim."

Ihopish Pancake Recipe

1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
1 1/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 tsp of baking soda
1 heaping tsp of baking power

Mix all in a blender until smooth

I doubled mine and used 2 cups unbleached flour and 1/2 cup wheat flour.

Careful these can brown quickly because of all the sugar.

I have added lil cubes of cream cheese, blueberries or stirred in some cocoa powder too.

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Icon of Saints Lawrence, Hippolitus, and Zystos



From the Eastern Christian Bulletin Service

Aflame with Divine Fire

Lawrence, one of the seven deacons of Rome, was born, according to tradition , at Huesca, Spain. He suffered martyrdom in Rome during Emperor Valerian's persecution of Christians. According to several early Christian writers, among them St. Ambrose and Prudentius, he was a deacon of Pope Sixtus II and was overwhelmed with grief when Sixtus was condemned to death in the year 258. Overjoyed when Sixtus predicted he would follow him in three days, Lawrence sold many of the Church's possessions and gave the money to the poor.

When the Roman prefect heard of his action, he had Lawrence brought before him and demanded all the Church's treasures for the Emperor. Lawrence said he would need three days to collect them and then presented the blind, the crippled, the poor, the orphans and other unfortunates to the prefect and told him they were the Church's treasures. Furious, the prefect prepared a red-hot griddle and bound Lawrence to it. Lawrence bore the agony with unbelievable composure and in the midst of his torment instructed the executioner to turn him over, as he was broiled enough on the one side.

According to Prudentius, Lawrence's death and example led to the conversion of many and was a signal of the end of paganism in the city. There is no doubt that his death inspired a great devotion in Rome that quickly spread throughout the entire Church.

Wow! I love the part where he asks to be turned over!

Trying to Stand and Clap already

Man, he's growing so fast!



I know its not right but sometimes I just want to hold him down and say "No, not yet. Your only 9 months old! Stay my little baby just a little longer please."

Spinach and Cheddar Strata

This is sooo yummy and easy....

1 teaspoon olive oil
10 onces spinach
3 cups day-old bread cubes
5 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk- or 1% and cream mixed
1 1/4 cups graded sharp white cheddar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.
cook spinach in olive oil till wilted and squeeze
in bowl mix eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper.
in a greased dish put bread cubes add spinach and pour egg mixture on top.
Bake 20- 25 mins. or till set.

Made for a great brunch with bacon and cinnamon rolls before I ran down to 1st Saturday rosary.

Transfiguration of Our Lord

Icon of the Transfiguration of our Lord



This is my basket of 1st fruits I took to Divine Liturgy last night to get blessed




From the Liturgical Year of the Byzantine-Slavonic Rite book-

This feast commemorates the manifestation of Christ's glory, as recorded by St. Matthew. "Jesus took Peter, James and his brother John, and let them up a high mountain by themselves, and was transfigured before them. And His face shone as the sun, and His garments white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking together with Him. Then Peter addressed Jesus, saying, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You will, let us set up three tents here, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elias.' A he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them and suddenly, a voice out of the cloud said,"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him.' And on hearing it the disciples fell on their faces and were exceedingly afraid. And Jesus came near and touched them, and said to them,'Arise, and do not be afraid.' But lifting up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only" (Mt. 17:1-8).