Christmas Day

Christmas morning, before stockings or gifts, we went to Mass. Then it was time to play with Uncle Marc and Pop and see what was under the tree....

James got his very own copy of Goodnight Moon. Charles strutted his stuff in his green football PJs and new Jets hat. There are more pictures, but they are on Marc's camera, so that will be for another day.

Skating on Christmas Eve

My brother Marc came to visit for Christmas and took us skating in the NGA Sculpture Garden on Christmas Eve.

Marc had last been iceskating in 1983!

James, Cecilia and I watched, took pictures, and handed hot cocoa over the wall to the skaters. Thomas has a black and grey coat, and Anthony has a black and red coat. Maria is asking to go back on her birthday next week.

Trees of Christmases Past

This morning the kids asked why we wait until it is so late to get our Christmas tree. Bill remembered that once his family started getting a live tree, about when he was in 7th grade, they waited until it was close to Christmas to get it. I remembered that, while we did not celebrate it ourselves, our family always waited until after the Posadas began to shop for a tree.

This inherited inclination to put up the tree close to Christmas rather than Thanksgiving directly led to our new tradition of cutting the tree ourselves. One year, when there were only 2 scraggly, over-priced trees left in all of Manhattan, KS, Bill and I were given directions to a local tree farm. It was such fun choosing which tree to cut and then running into the barn for hot apple cider while the farmer shoved the tree sideways into the trunk of Bill's Accord that we have looked for a tree farm everywhere else we've lived.

One year there was a hayride with the twins on the way out to the trees. Once, Bill held the tree up while I cut it down. In Hawaii there was a tree shortage that made the national news. We had a Charlie Brown tree that year. One year the kids hid in the van while Bill went to get the tree. They were afraid of the farm cat. And this year we let everyone who wanted a chance help cut the tree down. There were mud puddles and toasted marshmallows and an open fire. And new family memories.

Dental woes....

The child with the cavity did not get to take his picture with Flossie the parrot (who is hiding behind Maria's hair).

Christmas Recital

Maria-"Silent Night", "Angels We Have Heard on High", "The First Noel"

Thomas--"We Three Kings of Orient Are"

Anthony--"Carol of the Bells"

Thomas and Anthony Duet--"The Holly and the Ivy" (they are counting, not singing)

O Come, Thou Wisdom

Week 3 plans:
-Light the pink candle for Gaudete Sunday
-No feasts fall this week, but today begins the "O" Antiphons!
-"Pizza and Penance" tonight at the chapel on post.
-The kids' piano recital/Christmas party
-Daily Mass and an Advent lunch followed by cookie decorating for the big kids at a friend's house
-Cookie decorating for the littles at our house
-Last batch of tamales to make and give away this week
-Could Christmas be as bright without shiny white teeth from a trip to the dentist?
-Trip to the tree farm to cut a tree
-Week 14 (of 32) of school with a concentration on reading the Advent books
-JOY! The first shoots from the bulb planters poked through the soil today!

Tag und Tschuss

The year that Bill was gone, Ali Shoupe practically lived at our house. She was my neighbor, my math student, my right arm, my babysitter, my buddy and my adoptive sister. Charles called her "Mommy Ali", and Anthony wanted to marry her. And today, the day before her flight home to Germany, she came and spent a few hours with us letting the kids climb all over her and updating us on all that's happened since we saw her family last. From when we picked her up at the Metro to when we dropped her off again she was beseiged by children and requests that she come live with us when she's 18, 24, 30, or with her husband when she gets married (and to hurry up and do that and have a baby too). It was a very quick "hello" and "goodbye" visit, but it was great to see her.

Chess Club

Anthony and Thomas have played chess in an after school club at a local public school for 2 semesters now. The Chess Master gave them their rankings today. Initially, they are grouped by skill level, from pawn up to queen. Then each child is then given a color to show where he ranks within his group, from purple up to red. Anthony is a blue bishop and Thomas is a red knight. Anthony did especially well in a local interschool tournament recently, and he felt that helped his ranking.

Tamales

December 12th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Since Maria was named for this vision of Mary, it's her special day, so right after school we scooted out the door to Mass. (To clarify, "school" consisted of James screaming for 2 1/2 hours and everyone else generally being restless and difficult.) At Mass the boys did their impression of Chevy Chase as an altar server (well, not quite that bad) while the others decided to get in touch with their pentecostal roots. Perhaps the 100 year-old woman with the cane who sat on the other side of them found this amusing; their mother did NOT.

For a while I have been drooling for today since it is Tamale Day and the, uh, baby has really been craving tamales. Monday I made the meat, yesterday the chile sauce, and this morning the masa (dough), so when we got home, I tucked the little guys in for naps and happily agreed to let the bigger kids go across the street to throw rocks into the creek. And then for the next 2 1/2 hours I tried to encourage an oil-based dough to smoothly spread onto a water-infused corn husk....40 times.

While I did this, I reminisced about the tamales of Christmasses past...the year I was cured of tamales by a case of stomach flu....when, as a young teen, I pushed my way through a crowd of non-English speakers to buy prepared masa, money above my head in one hand and how many pounds of masa I needed shown on the other...when I was a little older, lending a hand in the assembly process and hearing my mom say, "No, Rachel, that is too thick. Make it thinner." or "Make the husk this big." or "Don't spread it so high, or it won't cook properly." Mom's directions especially made the whole process a success, but when Cecilia showed up to help, I handed her a spoon, a hunk of dough and a husk and let her go at it on her own.

Tonight's dinner included these delicious, homemade tamales, fresh cooked pinto beans with a sprinkle of cheese, and (thanks to a last minute check the emergency stash in the freezer) virgin pina coladas. We all ate well (Bill held himself down to 6), and some of the extras will be shared with our friends for Christmas presents.

By the way, listen to your mother (or failing that, listen to my mother). Even if greatly temptated, do not eat store-bought tamales. When we went to buy hojas (corn husks), I was drooling for a delicious, spicy tamale so I decided to try the El Salvadoran kind made at the store. I'm pretty sure that "El Salvadoran" does not mean slimy, flavorless, and including chicken neck vertebrae. But "store-bought" does.

Lullaby Time

As they drift off to a night of peaceful rest, the kids nightly request a lullaby, and I love to sing them if I have the energy. Here are the songs at the top of the lullaby hit parade right now:

-10 Little Fingers, 10 Little Toes "special"--meaning that you must tunefully insert things that the body part does relating to a theme from "my mom, my twin and me" to "Kopaka, toa of ice"
-Hail Holy Queen
-Daddy's Little Girl usually altered to Mommy's Little Boy
-Star Spangled Banner (tickle version)
-Ghost of John
-Here Comes Peter Cottontail
The other night Bill made it home before bedtime, so he was called to sing a lullaby. He chose to sing the entire group the jingle from the Monchichi TV ad. They loved it.

O Come, Thou Dayspring

This week we are:

*Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec 12th. This is Maria's feast day.

*Learning the next 2 verses of Veni, Veni Emmanuel. I think my playing gets worse each night, but the singing is improving.

*Mailing gifts and trying to finish the shopping

*Planning for Marc's visit starting Dec 24th-ish

*Making jar crafts for Maria's Little Flowers craft day on Friday

*Completing Christmas outfits

A Visit from St. Nicholas

"St. Nicholas or Santa Claus?" seems to be THE question this time of year over at my favorite Catholic homeschool site. Back before the kids really knew what was going on, I decided that at our house the guy in the red suit would only be St. Nicholas. We call him St. Nicholas, we know the story of his life as a persecuted bishop of Myra, we have read about his generosity during his lifetime and the miracles attributed to him after his death, and we understand a little of the history of his secularization. But first and foremost we know St. Nicholas as someone who wants everyone to know and love Jesus. For that reason, we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas--which is today--by leaving out my (handpainted Hanna Andersson) clogs on the eve of Dec. 5 and wait to see what St. Nick will bring to remind us of Who it is we are preparing for. If we can, we go to mass on the feast since that is really the best way to celebrate. And we always love to have a tea party, eat special treats, and read books related to the day.

Last night St. Nicholas left a bag of gold chocolate coins and gold dollars and the Epiphany story the Legend of Old Befana by Tomie de Paola; he couldn't resist adding a Playmobil playset of himself since he is accompanied by an angel--not an elf--as befits a saint who lives in Heaven and not at the North Pole. By noon most of the gold dollars had been donated to the kids' Christmas present to Jesus which they have been working odd jobs to save money for for about a month.

I will spare you the adventures I've had trying my friend Michelle's Speculaas recipe. Suffice it to say that I have eaten enough "tasters" to know that I did not produce the same yummy cookie she made when we celebrated together last year and to know that I will not regret a single cookie that the kids will decorate and not eat this afternoon.

Saint Nicholas does make one more stop here on Christmas Eve. He leaves a small, faith related gift and a few Sees suckers in the kids' stockings before he takes a back seat to the Real Star of the Day.

Welcome Winter

Today's view of the same spot where the kids posed in front of fall trees the other week.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Some ways that we are preparing in the first week of Advent:

*Finishing shopping for Christmas presents (3 left!) and ship the last few
*Lighting the advent wreath each night. This nativity advent wreath was a gift from my friend Heather last year.
*Packing away all the regular books and "strewing" the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany books
*Requesting as many books as possible from MacBeth's Fall, Winter and Christmas Opinions
*Singing Veni, Veni Emmanuel accompanied by me on the piano after lighting the wreath. I'm hoping we'll learn all the O Anitphons by the time they arrive
*Celebrating St. Nicholas' feast day--clogs out the night before!
*Daily Mass on Wednesday with an Advent lunch and reflection after at the post chapel
*Celebrating a soon-to-be-born (with any more complications very soon) and much prayed for and anticipated new baby boy expected by a dear friend
*Continuing to pray for our deployed and deploying friends and their families and friends...the Talbots, the Manrys, the LaTerzas, Fr. Albertson, Fr. Hubbs, and Fr. Wood and his family
*No red poinsettias this year since the major supplier is also a major donor to Planned Parenthood. Tomorrow we're planting some paper white narcissus in our bulb container gardens that we started last week.

Belly shot--20 something weeks

The baby is growing in grace and beauty, and my body is growing apace.
Based on where my body is growing, I still think she's a girl.

Tonight's baby food is Cowboy Chili (no beans) and Thomas' homemade cornbread. Anthony, Thomas, and I all had chili as a snack too since we couldn't wait for dinner. It is soooooooo yummy.

Did I mention I love Fall?

THE good thing about Virginia--Fall

And Fall trees and Fall weather. Tonight's menu:

Gypsy Soup and

Mary G.'s Fastest Wheat Bread Ever

(1)Preheat oven to 400F.

(2)Warm 1C milk and 1 C plain yogurt tobody temp.

(3)Proof yeast by putting 1 Tbsp yeast and 1 tsp sugar in 1/2C very warm water for 10 min.

(4)Combine 1 & 2 with 2 C Whole Wheat Flour and 1 Tbsp Honey. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.

(5)Add 1 Tbsp oil.

(6)Sift together 1tsp baking soda, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 4 C all purpose flour. Add to liquid 1 C at a time until firm.

(7)Knead into 2 stumpy ovals. Place on a baking sheet & slash. Let rise 10 min.

(8)Bake @ 400F for 25 min.

If desired, brush with butter when fresh from the oven.

This bread is very forgiving as I have made a bunch of mistakes with it including using vanilla yogurt, forgotten to add 1C of flour and not letting it rise. Every time the result has been delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving!

On Thursday morning we celebrated Thanksgiving (and the feast of St. Cecilia) by going to Mass as a family. I especially enjoyed it since last year I snuck off to Mass alone and was late.

Immediately after, we drove to Philly to celebrate and be thankful (and eat and be even more thankful) at Uncle Jesse and Aunt Shirley and "little" Jess' house. With so much family and good food, we were all able to relax and have a great time.

The next morning, we took a quick trip to see the Liberty Bell, and then headed back to Uncle Jesse's to spend a little more time together before we had to head home. Thankfully, James decided to warm up to Mama and let me get this great picture of the two of them together.

Playdough Morning

Ingredients:

1 package cookie dough playdough

Eager little hands (6 sets work well)

Imagination

Saliva

Cook at 350 F for 10-12 minutes







ENJOY!

National Shrine

Today we took a family trip to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. I chose the mosaic art study because since the kids went to the Basilica 2 years ago, they have wanted to go back, and much of the Basilica is covered in amazing mosaics. The delay worked in our favor, though, because last March we studied Vietnam when Bill went on a week-long trip there with his MBA program, and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of La Vang (scroll down for the story of this vision) was recently completed at the Basilica. This chapel is just outside the Crypt Church.

The first picture is taken outside the chapel while Anthony (left) and Thomas pose inside. Maria is inside in front of the altar, and Cecilia wanted to show off the decorative floor. (Charles isn't anywhere near the chapel; insead he wanted his picture near an angel outside the men's room.) The mosaic on the right depicts the Mary comforting the people suffering and hiding in the wild jungle of La Vang. Anthony is praying near the mosaic on the left showing the 118 Vietnamese Martyrs. I'm sorry that you can not see the beautiful bright blue ceiling with lighted stars. The entire chapel is breathtaking.