Christmas Eve...

The last few hours of Christmas Eve were spent in our still kitchen preparing foods for our meals on Christmas Day.  It is rare for me to not be listening to anything or talking on the phone while I work, but with everyone else fast asleep, it was necessary to work in silence. I was able to finish up my to do list so that I would wake up on Christmas morn ready to share the feast and those quiet hours were just what I needed to also prepare myself.  I love Christmas and am so happy that it is twelve days long!

Monasteries as Satellites...

My husband recently finished the first video in a series that he prepared for Holy Archangels Monastery!  Enjoy!

Prettying Up the Porch...

We have space on either side of the house doors which is where we line up muddy boots and a basket of balls, plus any other odds and ends that come with a busy family.  Sadly, it is often a dumping ground and it drives me crazy!  

Tidying and sweeping the porch was on the agenda today, but I took it one step further and made one side as nice as I could.  I love outside lights and really wanted to make the effort this year.  We did a simple strand of lights round the door frame of the church and another round the doors into the house.  My husband had the brilliant idea to put them both on a timer so that we wouldn't have to fuss with turning them off and on. 

 I added a small table that we had with a huge pinecone and a container of dried flowers (I originally had a vase with holly and water, but we were worried that it would freeze and break).  I really wanted a potted tree, so I dug a baby one from the woods and covered the dirt with some moss I peeled up from the church grounds.  Finally, I stuck the tail end of the lights into the house lantern.  I really like how it turned out!  It is cheerful and wintery and I keep sneaking outside to look at it!

O Christmas Tree...

With Eyes Brighter Than the Sun...

When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always, that God the Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun; also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and all the Saints of God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, and where God is, there are they also.  Where the sun is, thither also are directed all its rays. Try to understand what this means."

Saint John of Kronstadt

The Great Sunday Tree Hunt...

 

Today was the Sunday that we went to pick out the Christmas tree!  I dragged everyone to a tree farm 40 minutes away only to drive back home to pick up one from a nearby tree lot.  I was really enamored with the idea of wandering through a Christmas tree farm and cutting down something that was both fresh and fragrant, but there were only little baby trees left.  The one that we did end up with is pretty spectacular, though.  I needed to buy new lights for the tree this year, and went with one strand of micro lights, one strand of lights with medium-sized faceted bulbs, and one strand with large bulbs.  Our tree looks amazing with multitude of twinkle lights on it and I am so happy with the result!

The Twelve Days of Christmas...

We love celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas in our family and this year I have started to plan some simple ways to make each day extra special.  In addition to these fun activities, we will be listening to our copy of Martin & Sylvia's Twelve Days of Christmas Story Collection from Sparkle Stories.  Though I've numbered the activities below, I'm just going to take each day as it comes after Christmas Day and pick what works with what we're up to.

1.  Christmas Day
2.  Winterfest of Lights or Car Ride to Look at Lights
3.  Milkshakes
4.  Open a New Christmas book
5.  Cookie Baking
6.  Christmas for the Birds
7.  Breakfast Out
8.  Ice Skating
9.  Create Gingerbread Houses
10.  Little Women Viewing
11.  Bubble Bath
12.  New Calendars

Reading...

Eggs crack.  Butter pops in a hot pan.  Her father is telling an abridged story of their flight, train stations, fearful crowds, omitting the stop in Evreux, but soon all of Marie-Laure's attention is absorbed by the smells blooming around her:  egg, spinach, melting cheese.
  An omelet arrives.  She positions her face over its steam.  "may I please have a fork?"
  The old woman laughs: a laugh Marie-Laure warms to immediately.  In an instant a fork is fitted into her hand.
   The eggs taste like clouds.  Like spun gold.  Madame Manec says, "I think she likes it," and laughs again.
  A second omelet soon appears.  Now it is her father who eats quickly.
"How about peaches, dear?" murmurs Madame Manec, and Marie-Laure can hear a can opening, juice slopping into a bowl.  Seconds later, she's eating wedges of wet sunlight."

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

Christmas Feasting...

 

I finalized our Christmas menu today.  We'll be enjoying all of our favorite feasting dishes, including a Christmas bread (which is the Pascha bread recipe styled after the gorgeous loaf that features prominently on the Christmas breakfast table in the 1994 film version of Little Women).  I would love to hear what you are planning to serve for your Christmas Day festivities!

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After Liturgy Nibbles

 Ham Sandwiches on Tiny Rolls

Vegetable Platter with Bacon Ranch Dip

Sausage, Cheese, and Crackers

Clementines

Dinner

Roasted Turkey

Mashed Potatoes*

Stuffing

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole  

Christmas Cauliflower

Creamed Onions

Christmas Bread and Butter 

Desserts

Christmas Cookies 

Christmas Chocolate 

 

*Made by my mother-in-law

All is Bright...

 

 

After four years, we finally hung curtains up in the playroom.  Though they are a bit old-fashioned looking, I like that the lace still lets in plenty of light but gives us a bit more privacy.  The room feels a little different now, but the over-all effect is nice!

I've done almost all of my Christmas shopping online this year and it has made things much easier.  The mailman has been busy bringing me parcels and as they arrive, I have been wrapping things and stowing pretty packages in the nooks and crannies in our bedroom closet.  It has been a lot more relaxing than in past years.

We are planning to get our Christmas tree on Sunday and will try to go to a local tree farm and cut a fresh one.  I cannot wait!  Father John always decorates our tree so nicely (we trade off when it is time to put the ornaments away) and this year I plan to have more twinkle lights than ever before!  

 

Edible Bird Houses...

 

 

 

 

The trio and I took a little class on making edible bird houses tonight.  It is quite easy to make these sweet little things!  We were given small wooden bird houses that we spread with peanut butter and dipped into different tubs of birdseed.  We pressed raisins and cranberries into the peanut butter to add some color and then decorated the tops with evergreen trimmings, cinnamon sticks, and ribbon.  We'll put these little houses out tomorrow and once all of the edibles are enjoyed by our feathered friends, I think that we will replenish the peanut butter, birdseed, and fruits throughout the winter.

Saturday Pursuits...

 

 

 

Today was another glorious day to be out-of-doors.  I took a little trip to the market this morning to buy birthday provisions:  tuna subs, chips, pickles, and things to make another lenten chocolate cake.  I love grocery shopping and it is such a nice indulgence to take a leisurely trip to the store in the early morning on my own.

The afternoon was spent doing the things that I like best.  The children played outside while I knit on the porch swing waiting for cake to finish baking, we tossed the football around a bit, planted the daffodil bulbs (that have been waiting patiently since early autumn), and enjoyed our boy's birthday.  

We wrapped up the day with church and a session for the boys at Papa's Barber Shop...  it was over three months since Papa trimmed hair!  Our little fellows look so handsome now and are all ready for Christmas!

Birthday Cake...

 

 

We upped the ante for today's cake by adding chocolate chips to the batter and decorating the towering birthday confection with mini knight figures...  it was a winner!

Eight!

 

Happy eighth birthday to our darling blue-eyed boy!  We love you so much!  

Friday Night...

 

Warm December Days...

 

 

 

I've been counteracting time spent writing lists, buying gifts, and wrapping up schoolwork with lots of time outside..  The temperatures have been so warm (in the upper sixties!) and the light has been glorious!  

Reading...

 They step  into a narrow entry.  Marie-Laure hears the gate clang shut, then the woman latching the door behind them.  Two dead-bolts, one chain.  They are lead to a room that smells of herbs and rising dough:  a kitchen.  Her father unbuttons her coat, helps her sit.  "We are very grateful, I understand how late it is," he is saying, and the old woman- Madame Manec-is brisk, efficient, evidently overcoming her initial amazement; she brushes off their thank-yous;  she scoots Marie-Laure's chair toward a tabletop.  A match is struck; water fills a pot; an icebox clicks open and shut.  There is a hum of gas and the tick-tick of heating metal.  In another moment, a warm towel is on Marie-Laure's face.  A jar of cool, sweet water in front of her.  Each sip a blessing."

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

 

Living and Learning: The Week Ahead...

 

 

Church in the Home
Now that Saint Nicholas Day has come and gone, I am thinking ahead to December 13th and the feast of Saints Lucia and Saint Herman.  In addition to the lovely storybooks we have about these two saints, I like to put up some twinkle lights in honor of Saint Lucia and buy a little table top tree for our nature table for Saint Herman.    

Reading
On our weekly library trip last week, I noticed that there was a book discussion scheduled for All the Light We Cannot See for December 11th.  Since the library provides the book, I decided to borrow a copy and try to read as much as I could of the 530 pages before the deadline.  It is such a good book that I have been reading it in all of my spare time and only have a little over a hundred pages to go!  

On My Needles
I am still working on my black version of the Palmyre shawl and it is coming a long nicely.  I only have a few more rows before I begin the lace portion and am really looking forward to wrapping myself up in it on these cold December days.

Watching
I have been enjoying a few episodes of Friends on Netflix after the little ones go to bed and am really enjoying the show.  It's lighthearted and funny which is just what I need right now!  I only have another season and a half to go and need some more suggestions!

Celebrating
 Little man is going to be eight in less than a week!  It is so hard to believe that he is getting so big.  It feels like yesterday that he was my roly-poly, mischievous, little baby.  I think that we'll have a reprisal of the yummy cake we made for his namesday last week!

 

A Very Happy Saint Ncholas Day!

 

Hymn to Saint Nicholas

O who love Nicholas the saintly,

O who serve Nicholas the saintly,

Him will Nicholas receive,

And give help in time of need:

Holy Father Nicholas!

He who dwells in God's holy mansions,

Is our help on the land and oceans,

He will guard us from all ills,

Keep us pure and free from sins

Holy Father Nicholas!

Holy Saint, hearken to our prayer,

Let not life drive us to despair,

All our efforts shall not wane,

Singing praises to your name:

Holy Father Nicholas!

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The Saint Nicholas Learning Basket can be found HERE.

 

Reading...

 

 

 

If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us - in our family, in the whole country, everywhere...  Love is the most powerful means of defense there is.  There are no weapons and no powerthat can measure themselves against love.  Everything is defeated by love."

-Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

Lenten Chocolate Layer Cake...

We made my mother this vegan cake for her birthday in July, using a recipe she had found.  After just one bite, I just knew that it would make a wonderful confection for our middle son, an avid chocolate lover.  It was terrific with Cool Whip and strawberries in the center and chocolate icing on top (we found a dairy-free vegan one at the store).  Enjoy!

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Andie's Chocolate Cake

2 1/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 t baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans or one 9x13 (I also greased cut parchment paper circles to put in my round pans.)

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

In another bowl combine wet ingredients.

Mix wet into dry until well blended.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Happy Namesday, Little Man!!

 

 

Overheard...

The Trio is in the midst of taking the first hot baths since the hot water heater broke five days ago. So far, I've heard the following exclamations:

"Ahhhhh. This is glorious!" (Button, age 5)

"What a hot, delicious bath!" (Sugar Plum, age 9)

"I'm addicted to this hot water." (Button, age 5)

"I never knew washing my hair could be so wonderous!" (Little Man, age 7)

 

December Sponsor News...

 

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