Outstading Actor awards

Number Three received an outstading actor award, and C. K. and G. T., from Number Five's play, were the other medalists from our homeschool group.

One-Act plays

Number Five's character changed her mind about eloping in Storm in the Dorm... in the One-Act plays festival today. Thank goodness!

Wish us luck!

Last day of rehearsals... One-act festival is tomorrow at Augie!

My Coconut Chicken

Yesterday I mentioned on my Facebook page that I was making this for dinner... and well, there were some requests. As with all of my recipes, this one has been adapted over the years to fit my simple and busy life. I have developed this recipe from many sources including a soup I loved at a Thai place in NE and a Brazilian a recipe I had in my book Ofelia.

Want to have a break from the winter and taste of tropical weather for dinner? Try...

Ana's Coconut Chicken

About 3 lbs chicken, diced (I use boneless, skinless, frozen)

Sautee in 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh crushed garlic and salt to taste

Add:

2 chopped onions

Cover, let it simmer and cook well

Then add:

2 large, ripe, fresh tomatoes, diced

(or a small can of diced or crushed tomatoes)

and a can of Coconut Milk (not coconut cream)

Let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so

Variation: add steamed cauliflower before garnish

Garnish with fresh herbs from the garden: chives, cilantro, parsley, very finely chopped. Serve over White Rice (I like to use steamed Jasmine Rice with this recipe),

and Bom Appetite!

The Letters S and E

While I read...

...her religion lesson on the Holy Mass, she draws.

Snow days

One advantage is the amount of work done at home. There is a positive side even to blizzards.

A certain play is being rehearsed...

Details to come soon!

Number Five gets the mail

Yesterday... lovely weather in SD these days. Try to spot her--good luck.






Update: not sure how this got edited, but one can see it it is really her.

Dreaming of... real football.

While Husband and kids watch for too much of the American sort of football (albeit not played with a ball nor with the foot) my thoughts are South African-bound...

So I am visiting FIFA's website and enjoying interesting tidbits and videos of past World Cups as I am waiting for the real football show this summer!

The Scarlet and the Black

The Scarlet and the Black: The True Story of Monsignor Hugh O Flaherty,

Hero of the Vatican Underground
by J.P. Gallagher, Ignatius Press, November 2009
ISBN-10: 1586174096

Amazon link here

Product Description
It has all the hallmarks of a best-selling fictional thriller: espionage,
conspiracy, a struggle against evil powers, undercover work by dark of night...
but it's all true. The Scarlet and the Black tells the astonishing and heroic
true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, the man dubbed "The Scarlet Pimpernel
of the Vatican" during World War II.

Born in Killarney, Ireland, Hugh O'Flaherty was an avid athlete-becoming a
formidable boxer, handball player, hurler, and golfer. From an early age,
however, he knew his calling was to the priesthood. After his ordination, he
served first as an Apostolic Delegate in Egypt, Haiti, Santo Domingo, and
Czechoslovakia, then in Rome at the Holy Office (now the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith). It was here in Rome that his greatest work began.

After the surrender of Italy in 1943, Rome came under the command of Nazi
Colonel Herbert Kappler of the dreaded SS, who began the deportation of Italian
Jews to Auschwitz. Kappler was a notorious hater of the Jews, persecuting them
at every turn. As a top man in the Vatican Holy Office, Msgr. O'Flaherty sprang
into action, organizing a sophisticated team that included men and women of many
nationalities, religions, and political views. There was one goal-to save Jews
and POWs from the Nazi machine. Despite Kappler's numerous attempts to
assassinate him, O'Flaherty persisted, and his efforts saved thousands of Jews
and POWs.

Using private homes and apartments, churches and monasteries, the effort was all
orchestrated by Msgr. O'Flaherty. Each day his familiar figure would stand on
the steps of St. Peter's -neutral ground that even the Nazis wouldn t violate -
to welcome any fugitives who might be sent his way. All told, of 9,700 Roman
Jews, most were saved, with 1,007 shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden,
5,000 of them by the official Church - 3,000 at the Pope s Castel Gandolfo, 200
or 400 (estimates vary) as "members" of the Palatine Guard, and some 1,500 in
monasteries, convents and colleges. The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private
homes, including Msgr. O'Flaherty's network of apartments. After the war,
O'Flaherty was honored by various Allied countries with awards and decorations
for his heroic acts to save Jews and POWs.

This classic account by J.P. Gallagher was adapted into the acclaimed television
movie, The Scarlet and the Black, starring Gregory Peck as Msgr. O Flaherty and
Christopher Plummer as Colonel Kappler.

A Poem to Listen and See!

A short, visual poem about how kids speak today-- very telling! Thanks to Maria Rioux for sending it to me!

Exciting times!

I so look forward to the marvelous, well-organized and rich MN Conference every year--and am always so very honored to be included in the group of speakers!

Introducing...

Lemon and Lime! Our two new parekeets, gitf of country neighbors the Dalys. Joy!

As one can easily see, the girls found room for them in homeschool room!

SMF Iceskating!

It was a fun afternoon!

Speech class: the Letters L, M, H, T and R

A sad loss for Brazil and Haiti

Senhora Zilda Arns died in Haiti doing what she did all her life: helping the poor children. May God receive her soul.

Read about it here...

We live in Narnia...

These were taken after 9 AM--we can barely see our garden plot, and the old silo vanishes in the winter fog. Aslan must be lingering near...

Reading Piers Paul Read

I successfully requested this to be purchased by our library system--and yet I am still on queue to read it! In the meantime I found it at a religious fundraiser book sale and bought it for Husband for Christmas!

I am about one fourth into it, and greaty enjoying it. So far it's a mixture of real characters, a budding romance and a developing international intrigue set in different geographical locations. I liked the trial scene in the very beginning, and am greatly enjoying the Catholic content. It reads like a film script at times, and at time it reminds me of Michael O'Brien. Husband liked it but I don't want him to tell me any more now...

Happy Golden Birthday, Number Four!

I pulled up the old paper family albums, and found his birth page on January 16, 1994. Number Two was then old enough to be a young and wonderful big sister! Anyway he is having a wonderful day with waffles, friends, and a date with dad & friends to go shopping for ski goggles, see a movie and have nice burgers in town!

I wrote this last night...

Read it here!

Praying for Haiti's earthquake victims

How devastating...! Ave Maria...

Read about it here, Pope's words here, and here is a blog with many ways we can help.

I am sending a donation to the excellent organization Food for the Poor, they have a page just for the urgent need in Haiti.

And let's keep praying... Ave Maria...

Number Four takes a Logic course

Online, through Homeschool Connections. A new experience! We have had the pleasure of meeting his teacher Dr. Gotcher personally last summer, and we know Number Four will be in great hands for the next six weeks!

Winter morning

This is beauty I never experienced as a child. Beauty does wonders to the heart... I give thanks to the One Who is Beauty Himself.

A Song for Nagasaki

Everyone is invited to join this Yahoo group. We offer suggestions for books you can request from your local library for purchase.

To see the info on this book I just posted, go here.

Thank You, Aunt Mary!

The mustard is fantastic--and the girls loved the apple sausage!

Vianney

An outstading play! Some of our Shakespeare Camp kids got to talk to Leornardo deFillippis, who started as a Shakesperean actor... I also greatly enjoyed chatting with him--a hero of mine for years.

The play is touring our diocese, don't miss it!

Sundog

This is dedicated to Mary Daly who called us alerting of the possibilities... God sends beauty even during desolate, artic wasteland days.

H.A. Rey's books in new, Second Editions!

The Stars and Find the Constellations, both by H. A. Rey, Second Editions, 2008 Houghton Mifflin, Hardcover.

I was both surprised and pleased when browsing the new materials this week at the library! H. A. Rey's excellent books on the stars and constellations have been published in second, updated, hardcover editions!

So nice to see a "new" sticker on old, favorite classics!

Brrrrrrr...

Number Five's Snowboard lessons

I found her on my friend Jannell's blog!

Epiphany!

After many traveling days, the three Kings arrived to adore the Holy Infant!

Number Two Paints a Dinosaur...

... and gets a new coat! She just sent me these from France, where she resurfaced her childhood artistic skills to cheer up the wall of the student's lounge on campus! She asked Numbers Six and Seven for name ideas, so he is now duly christened as "Mr. Greensome".

The perfect Guacamole

I not only did not grow up with Guacamole (avocados in Brazil are eaten with sugar for dessert), I also did not learn to make it from a Mexican Food native. My comadre Wanda, who is from Poland, taught me to make it--and she is a fabulous cook.

The key? Simplicity! 3 ingredients suffice: a good avocado, fresh crushed garlic, and salt. Yum.

Glossary: Comadre, and Compadre, are terms that comes from Latin, meaning co-mother or co-father. It is what we call our relatives or friends who are godparents of our children, or when we are godparents of their children. A beautiful Catholic usage!

New Mother Teresa Stamp

So proud of our Postal Service for commemorating a Nobel Peace Prize winner who actually did work towards peace in the world! The stamp is coming out January 14!




(Thanks Kathie for the tip! I had seen it but you gave me the idea to blog it!)