Easter Sunday

With Easter on its way, I assured him that we do not serve our version of hot-cross buns even one day after Easter Sunday. We do sell them before Good Friday, but only for two weeks. The joy of eating with the seasons – fresh produce, religious or otherwise – is that it varies our diet subtly, yet profoundly. Seasonality teaches us patience and restraint during the lean months and educates our palates about what proper fruit tastes like during times of harvest.  -- Claire Ptak

Since the boys will be serving the 7am Easter Mass as usual, we need a quick but celebretory breakfast. I've decided to serve whole milk Brown Cow yogurt and make hot cross scones that I found on the blog post above, to be eaten at 5:30 am.

*****
I lied. I made the usual scone recipe but with Zante currants and hot cross bun spices. I'm sure they'll be great and won't require me to make mascarpone cheese. :)

May The 4th Be With You

The weather cooled down to a breezy 98 yesterday so we could celebrate our country's birthday in relative comfort.


To start the day out right, the twins marched in the 4th of July parade in Pinehurst with their Boy Scout troop while the rest of the family marched with American Heritage Girls.     Sadly, the Boy Scouts didn't have a camera.

It felt a little funny to be marching right behind the Girls Scouts....
And the choice to hand out patriotic glow in the dark fake tattoos
turned out to be ironic since many of the families, including those
who helped pick the tattoos, do not let their girls wear them!

Cecilia enjoyed handing out invitations to girls
more than carrying the banner.               

Halfway through the parade Joseph went missing. Within 10 minutes he was found
several blocks back on the parade route, hands full of candy he had found on the side of the road.
Thank you, Guardian Angel.

The girls passed out invitations to an AHG info brunch. Charles and the little boys
enjoyed giving out fake tattoos to brothers as we walked along.

Even Dominic wore spirit-wear to celebrate the day. His attitude was less spirited at this point.

                             
Sweating and tired at the end of the parade, we gratefully accepted an invitation to swim with our neighbors at their pool. If it weren't for the severe thunderstorm warning, we might be there still.


Both Cecilia and Charles whipped up special holiday treats for dinner. Cecilia made Ribbon Jello from Grandma's recipe. And Charles finally had a chance to make an American flag cake he had seen in the Tiger Cub Handbook several years ago.

And finally, for the first time since we moved to North Carolina, we went to watch a firework display. All the kids loved it, even Dominic, and watching the beautiful explosions of color was uplifting and made us proud of Bill's sacrifice for our great country. 

Happy Easter!

My birthday

A birthday on Good Friday means no cake, but I did get some fun gifts.

Joke Pies for April Fool's

Did I mention All Saints' Day?

Here is the game we played for All Saints' Day

Celebrity Death Match: Nicholas vs Arius

Click the picture to see St. Nick in action!

SAINT NICHOLAS THE PLAGOLOGIST, POSSIBLY THE 1ST 'MUSCULAR CHRISTIAN'

by Christopher Wright

Saint Nicholas was my kind of Saint,
If sometimes short of temper.
Though pacifism was not his bent;
He was fidelis semper.

When Arius denied his Lord's
Divinity, Nick felt sore;
Decided acts speak more than words,
Felled Arius to the floor.

His kind of knock-down plagologue*
Is now not to our taste.
We value courteous dialogue
Above such wordless haste.

And yet there is a time, one feels
To strike and not to speak.
When Reason with Unreason deals,
It's reason which is weak.

For who can mould a brain of mud
With philosophic lore?
Better to thump the stupid crud.
His place is on the floor.

An up close look at Arius

James thought this was a great game

Thomas showed his muscle before taking Arius down

(Thank you to Lina and Faith and Family Live for sharing the poem!)

Feast of SAINT Damien of Moloka'i

Yes, we are celebrating!

I wish I had the camera to show you the lovely display.  Think luau....palm fronds and plumeria....a lei for each of us....a tablecloth with brightly colored hibiscus blooms on the picnic table in the back...Braddah Iz on the stereo...fresh pineapple and coconut...an imu with a delicious smelling pig cooking right now in the back yard (Bill dug the pit before he left).

Well, that's what I'm going to visualize as we eat our crockpot b-b-q beef burgers and coconut-pineapple cake after soccer tonight.

Happy Feast Day, Saint Damien!

PS Due to the fact that my husband is gone and I'm pregnant, I've just realized that yesterday was his feast. 

December--Christmas

I don't feel particularly organized about Christmas or even like I have improved it much this year.  But here are some of my notes to self:

1.  Compile and beg for lists by early Nov.  Shop Thanksgiving weekend and wrap immediately.  Then Advent can really be Advent.
2.  Use the Christmas spread sheet which lists those people--like godchildren--who I don't want to forget (but did mostly).  It also lists Christmas and Jan birthdays.
3.  Allow self to buy one piece of decor.  This year I decorated an old doll house with a garland and made it a home for MY new Playmobil nativity set. All kids may play.  None may take it out of the dollhouse.  All the pieces made it back into the box for next year.  Hooray!
4.  Do these Christmas cards to make the picture taking easier.

November--Holidays

Today when James started throwing up, I realized how woefully unprepared I am for the season, Thanksgiving, Christmas or flu.  Since Bill has to make a commissary run for flu supplies anyway, I decided to make a Thanksgiving shopping list too.  But first I had to confirm the menu.  And as a tone of annoyance crept into his voice, I realized what a waste of time it is for us to discuss it.  Not only do we eat basically the same thing every year, I cook it all, so I get to pick!  I sent him to school and wrote down the menu:

Thanksgiving Day:
Breakfast
Empanadas de Calabazas, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Coffee

Lunch
Roast Beef Sandwiches and Fruit

Dinner--5pm
Turkey with Herbed Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
Grandma Mapson's Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
Parker House Rolls
Sparkling Cider, Wine and Water
Chocolate Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie

Of course, then I had to pull out 4 cookbooks and look at multiple websites to 1. discover this is the menu I already had written in my cookbook and 2. double check recipes and ingredients and make a grocery list.  Once the list was compiled, I had to dig through the kitchen to see what we actually need--my least favorite part.  Why, oh why, haven't we just come up with a master list years ago? 

Here it is, although Bill will fix the order so it's shoppable.
Deli
Roast Beef
Cheese

Produce
onion
celery
3 sweet potatoes
6 oranges
10 potatoes
bag of spinach
lettuce
tomatoes

Dry Goods
White wine vinegar
mustard
mayo
shortening
walnuts 1/2 C
1 1/2 C halved pecans
sugar
flour
dark corn syrup
dark brown sugar
yeast
baking powder
confectioner's sugar
semi sweet choc chips
mini marshmellows
poppy seeds
sesame seeds
paprika
salt
pepper
ginger
gr. cloves
thyme
sage
majoram
basil
cinnamon
vanilla
anise
pumpkin pie mix
evaporated milk
can of pumkin puree
6-8 C chicken broth
saltine crackers
canned chicken soup
ramen
7 up
apple juice
sprarkling cider
liquid tylenol
liquid motrin

Meat
Turkey over 10 lbs
bacon

Frozen Foods (if can't find fresh)
2 pkg cranberries
4 C sliced strawberries

Dairy
Milk
36 eggs
2 lb butter
pint heavy whipping cream

Alcohol
Wine
Brandy

Now I just have to get out my Christmas gift spreadsheet, send out lists, and beg for lists so that I can go shopping this weekend.