The Blessing of the Atlantic...

Black Bean Vegetable Soup...

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. 

This is yummy with a dollop of guacamole on top and a side of lime tortilla chips.

Yarn Along: Maggie Now...

I'm nearly done with my Riverbank Cowl...  only a few more rows until I bind off.  It ends with a few rows of ribbed knit which I am looking forward to finishing.  I never realized why my ribbed casts offs were always so wonky and my sister mentioned that you had to cast off knitting and purling as you go.  That makes a lot of sense (previously I was just knitting to cast off) and I am excited to see the finished product!

I did find a copy of Maggie Now.  It is going quickly, but I can tell that it will not be my favorite Betty Smith novel...  it's depressing.

What are you knitting and reading?

Ask Father: Holy Water...

Q.  Does holy water have magical powers?

A.  No.  But it is matter that is “spirit-bearing” which brings the blessing of God, cleansing, healing, and can be used for every purpose that is expedient.

Q.  Where should I keep the holy water?

A.  Some keep the holy water in their icon corner and others in the refrigerator.

Q.  When should I drink holy water?

A.  When you feel a spiritual need,  that is when you find yourself strongly tempted; feel in an evil way; are about to set out on a journey; will miss the divine services; before a difficult encounter; in illness, afflictions, etc..  It is the custom of some pious people to take a drink of holy water the first thing every day before they eat or drink anything else (not on days when they receive Holy Communion).

Theophany...

When Thou, O Lord wast baptized in the Jordan 

The worship of the Trinity was made manifest 

For the voice of the Father bore witness to Thee 

And called Thee His beloved Son. 

And the Spirit, in the likeness of a dove, 

Confirmed the truthfulness of His word. 

 O Christ, our God, Thou hast revealed Thyself 

 And hast enlightened the world, glory to Thee!

:::::

The Learning Basket for Theophany can be found HERE.

The Eleventh Day of Christmas...

 The first bowl of Lenten Soup of the New Year...  it is a delicious black bean concoction that everyone gobbled up.  I'm very glad that there aren't leftovers!  Father John commented that it would be even better with beef or chicken and a handful of cheese.  I can't help you with that on a strict fast day, sir!

We had Matins and the blessing of waters last night and the little ones were so cute watching everything with big eyes.  Button fell asleep about twenty minutes in so it was a pretty peaceful service for his mama.  Joyous Feast!

The Tenth Day of Christmas...

I forgot to tote around the big camera today and so you are getting a photograph of what I seem to do every night after bedtime:  knit while watching television and drinking hot cocoa (though the cocoa is a bit of a treat...  normally it is something a little less delicious).  It's kind of hard to believe that we are nearing the end of the Christmas season.  January is such a nice month though.  There is always the hope that it will snow and there are lots of cozy days spent beside the fire with plenty of warm soup, hot muffins, and forced bulbs. 

We were able to get a few books from the library today and I am excited to get back into our school routine on Monday.  I had a bad dream the other night that we tossed out all of our school books and started using something completely new and different.  Instead of getting smarter, the kids were getting dumber.  It sounds really silly now, but I woke up in a cold sweat.  It's is kind of a riot that I am that parent. 

Remember that Downton starts tomorrow!  Exciting!

The Ninth Day of Christmas...

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning!  There was only an inch or two on the ground, but since it had rained before turning to snow, everything was covered in ice underneath.  It was so beautiful!  Though I think everything was basically cleared on the roads by the afternoon, we stayed in.  The children got to play outside which was a huge thrill...  I think that they will sleep well tonight!

After Christmas, I ordered some cashmere gloves and it was nice to receive them today.  They are longer than most (though I don't really think that they would reach to the elbow even on a shorter-armed woman) which is perfect for me because I have long arms and big hands.  For the first time ever, I will have warm wrists!  It is so exciting!  If you need some, order quickly.

For my knitting friends, have you seen the mystery knit-along?  I am planning on giving it a go.  It looks like so much fun!

The Eighth Day of Christmas...

Today was spend running around on several errands.  I treated the children to lunch at Chick-Fil-A and we all shared one of their peppermint shakes (I've been wanting one since the beginning of the Nativity fast!).  Once home, we all snuggled down to crafts and toys near the fire.  I framed a few prints by Phoebe Wahl and by the time the little ones were snug in their beds, I was ready for hot cocoa, knitting, and the Call the Midwife Christmas special!  It seems that we will be having a cozy day in tomorrow...  maybe even with a very little bit of snow!  I am already planning blueberry muffins for breakfast.  I hope that your day was as nice as ours! 

The Seventh Day of Christmas...

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

The beautiful Saint Basil's Bread was baked by the nuns at Holy Protection Monastery.

Yarn Along: I'm the Boss...

My husband very nicely ordered three skeins of Madeline Tosh in Antler as part of my Christmas gift this year and I have been enjoying it so much!  I printed out the pattern for a Riverbank Cowl after hemming and hawing over it for awhile.  I really liked the texture of the cowl, but I wasn't crazy about all of the ribbing on either end.  It finally dawned on me that I was the boss of my own knitting and could change it!  I went with five rows of ribbing and to make up for it, I will be repeating the textured part of the pattern three times instead of twice.  I love it so far!

I finished Joy in the Morning the other night and then spent a little time reading through the end notes on Betty Smith's life which were fascinating to me.  I think that I will get Maggie Now to read soon...  I don't think that I ever have before.  In the interim, I've picked up No Holly For Miss Quinn, the first Miss Read book I ever read.  It is such a nice Christmas story!

What are you reading and knitting?

The Sixth Day of Christmas...

The Fifth Day of Christmas...

We painted on canvas today...  I found a good deal on a package of them and so they became our little Twelve Days of Christmas treat this afternoon.  It was fun!  They are currently drying on our kitchen counter and I am looking forward to hanging their artwork up.  Canvases are more satisfying than a crinkly piece of paper, that is for sure!

I have been greedily watching episodes of Sherlock the past few nights.  It is an interesting show and keeps me occupied while I knit.  I've developed a bad habit of needing something to listen to/watch while I knit and this is filling in for all of the shows that are on hiatus for Christmas break right now.

A few week ago, I noticed a sweet little terracotta Nativity set on my sister's bedside table.  She told me that my godmother (who generously sends us all Christmas presents all the way from England!) gave it to her last Christmas.  Imagine my delight when I opened our Christmas parcel from Aunt Sarah last night and found the same set in my package!  Hooray!  Now I am copying my little sister and have it next to my bed.  It will have to be moved though because it has captured the attention of a certain three-year-old who promptly tucked it into his sleeper for safe keeping (??).  Luckily he was caught before it was crushed.

Tomorrow's a big day!  Sweet dreams!

The Fourth Day of Christmas...

The Third Day of Christmas...

So far it has happened that we have had a quiet day for every busy day that we have had this Christmas.  I love that it worked out like that!  Today is a quiet one.  The best part so far today is that I finally got to eat bacon this morning!  Yum!  I have really been waiting for it!

Today will be spent getting ready for the Christmas brunch and caroling we are hosting at the rectory tomorrow after Liturgy.  I cannot wait!  Aside from giving our children the gift of music (!), this is why I wanted a piano...  we have a talented pianist friend and she will be doing the honors tomorrow.  It will be beautiful.

 My Christmas candle is lit (with Christmas matches!), the kettle is whistling, and my yarn is waiting.  I'll be sure to share photos from the party tomorrow!!

The Second Day of Christmas...

The First Day of Christmas...

Today was a quiet one.  The little ones seemed to just know that was what they needed too, and so they spent the day with new art supplies (three new favorites:  a huge set of art supplies from Grandmama and Grandpapa and two new books from our good friends:  Nature to Color and 200 paper Plane to Fold and Fly).

One of the things that we did differently this year was presents and I hope that I remember to do it again in future years.  We always give a stocking full of goodies and three gifts to each child on Christmas Day. We also exchange gifts with grandparents, godparents, and several friends and that adds up to a lot of gifts!  This year, I left all of the gifts from faraway friends and family in a large box in our closet and only put out the gifts from Mama and Papa.  The children opened up their stockings before Liturgy and then their gifts from us in the early afternoon.  Last night before bed, they each opened up a gift from our friends and then this morning they received a gift from my parents, one from their godparents and one from generous parishioners.  It has been so lovely to open things slowly and really savor the things that they receive.  We still have two more small gifts to open in the coming days, so it should really spread things out nicely.

There is still so much to celebrate...  I can hardly believe that Christmas is really here!  I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas too!